Destiny Waits For No One
by Brambleeyes
Summary: All over the globe, seven ordinary people discover their extrodinary abilities. Each must now grapple with there new found abilities and watch out for the consequences they bring, including a coming disaster that will bring them all together.
1. Volume One: Clark Leachman

**Authors note: okay everyone; this is my first Heroes fanfic, so go easy on me. I just wanna let you know that this is a completely different version of the story. It has all the familiar aspects of the show like an indestructible villain, evil company, and a impeding disaster but not any of the specifics of the show, so don't except any characters of the show to appear. Think of it like an alternate version or universe or whatever you like to call it. Just wanted to let you know. If you don't like it, tough luck.**

_Commerce Township, USA_

The alarm clock began to blare as six o'clock appeared on the clock. Clark angrily slammed a hand onto the silence button, mumbled a few curse words, and then rolled out of his bed.

He shuffled on unsteady feet, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes and made his way to his bathroom. He flattened out his unruly hair, took out his rubber bands for his braces, popped in his contacts, brushed his teeth, and finally changed into a pair of raggy jeans, a dark green long sleeve shirt, and put on his black sweatshirt he always wore.

He went down the darkened hall of his house, down the stairs, grabbed his backpack, and sat down on the couch. He turned on the TV and propped up against one of the pillows, waiting for the bus to come.

Clark Leachman was a scrawny fifteen year old with short dark brown hair and brown eyes, he never wore any light colors, always dark blue, dark green, and his favorite black and he had never played a sport or done anything special really. He had just never really fit in at Commerce Township. Even after eight years of living in the small Michigan town, he was always the outsider. His grades were never spectacular, always straight B's since the first year of middle school. He couldn't play a sport if his life depended on it and he never had any close friends. He was always just this…thing at school that remained quite and hardly ever talked to anyone.

Of course, his parents were oblivious to all this. They sometimes asked about school and he would always put on a happy face and said it was fine. They never suspected how their son really felt and he left it at that.

He soon heard the bus pull up. Grabbing his backpack, he made his way out the door and onto the bus. As usual he never made eye contact with anyone and always took his usual seat in the back of the bus…alone.

It was still dark out, the sun barely reaching over the horizon as the bus made its way picking up all the other students. Clark simply stared out the window, watching as the scenery sped by in dark blurs.

"Uh…can I sit here?" Clark realized someone was talking to him. Looking up, he saw it was only Vince Ballin. He was in Clark's history class, a tall, muscular fella with long shaggy brown hair and dark green eyes. He was also on the J.V. football team; maybe not the best around but still pretty good. If Clark could recall, they had never really spoken to one another.

Clark simply moved his backpack of the seat, allowing Vince to sit next to him. This was a bit odd for Clark, no one had sat with him in over the last…three or so years. He figured it was because no one wanted to sit next to him.

"Uh, why are you sitting here?" Clark asked.

Vince shrugged "only place open".

Clark looked over the seat and he saw a couple of spots still open "there are others" Clark said.

"Don't really like those people" Vince replied.

"Their only freshman" Clark said flatly. He looked out the window again, watching the dark blurs go by.

"Did I do something wrong?" Vince asked.

"No" Clark said "its just, people usually try and stay as far away from me as possible".

"Why?" Vince asked.

"Because everyone thinks I'm some nut job" Clark said.

Vince looked at him "your in my history class, aren't you? Clark is it?"

"Ya" he replied.

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk before" Vince said.

"So I don't like to talk," Clark said, "is that a problem?"

"No, I was just saying," he said, "why don't ya like to talk?"

They soon pulled up to the school "why bother. Talking only gets you into trouble" he then got up, squeezed pass Vince, and made his way off the bus and into the school.

* * *

Walled Lake Northern was your typical high school. It didn't have any real good sports teams, never accomplished much, had all the high school groups, and a place where vary rarely anything happened. 

Clark took his usual spot in the commons area. This one section of wall where usually all the Goths and Loadies hung out. He never really interacted with them, always keeping a safe distance and it wasn't like they acknowledged him much either. As usual, he was just this thing that never talked.

He then made his way towards history class, taking his seat at the back off the room. As usual, he paid attention half of the time to what the teacher said. He did glance over at Vince one time but other then that, he just kept to twaddling his fingers.

Before he knew it, the bell had rung. He then shuffled his way to algebra class and took his usual seat in the back. In fact, the back of the class was where he mostly sat. That is, unless if they assigned seats.

Putting his books down, he pulled out his seat and felt someone bump into him hard.

"Watch it fag" someone hissed behind him.

That was Andy Tellermen. Ever since seventh grade, he has had it out for Clark. He never really knew why, as far as he could tell he didn't do anything to him. But it soon became clear to Clark why he had it out for him.

Andy was a complete ass and a low life at that. Clark called him the white anorexic version of 50 Cent. He wore all of those oversized shirts, ridiculous rapper hat, had his pants so low that you could see all of his boxers, and he was failing almost every class he was in. Clark hated him and Andy hated him too, mainly the reason was he believes Clark to be gay and has always tried ways to embarrass him.

He had beaten Clark up more then once, tease him in front of everyone, and make more then one way to throw in a fag joke. All he wanted to do was punch Andy right in the face but he knew he was no match for Andy and it never would really have done anything to stop him. So all he could do was try and ignore him.

As usual, Clark paid only half attention to what the teacher told. He also would catch glimpses of Andy talking to his friends, pointing at him, and they would laugh. Clark felt his blood begin to boil. One of these days Andy he thought one of these days.

The bell rang again and Clark got up and made his way to the door. On his way out, Andy deliberately bumped into him again, sending his books to the ground, while his friends kicked them out of Clark's reach as he tried to get them.

"Get of the floor fag" Andy teased.

"What a loser" one of his friends said, stepping on one of Clark's hands. Clark hissed in pain and rubbed his hand while they walked off, laughing and jeering. Clark began to retrieve his books. Reaching for the last, someone picked it up and handed it to him. Looking up, he saw it was Vince.

"Thanks" Clark said, taking the book.

"Why did you let those guys walk all over you?" he asked as Clark got up.

"Its nothing" Clark said "I'm used to it".

"No one gets use to being teased" Vince said.

"Why are you even trying to help me?" Clark snapped at him "is it some sorta charity thing you're doing? Helping out the losers of the school".

"I was only helping" Vince said.

"Well I don't need your help" Clark hissed "so just back off". He angrily stalked off, heading for his next class.

For his next two classes, Clark was in a depressed mood. There just came days when he couldn't stand it all, Andy, school, life, everything. And what was worse, he had no one to talk to about it. He was all alone…with no one there to help him.

Sometimes he wished, just wished…for one friend. That one friend he could talk to, relate to, that one friend who didn't make him feel like such an outsider. Maybe then life wouldn't be so tough.

Clark sometimes wondered why he was here? What was his purpose in the world? He didn't have any special skills, he wasn't a genius, he couldn't punt a football all the way across the field, and he was just Clark Leachman. Some kid living in Commerce. And he feared, that was all he was ever going to be.

An ordinary person. Nothing more, nothing less.

At lunch, he ate in silence, propped against the wall with the others. Soon, the bell rung. Clark was glad he had only two more periods left and he was out of this hellhole.

Making his way to his locker, he put in the locker combination, took out his biology book, and shut the door. As he turned around, someone pushed him against the locker, hard. Almost dropping his books, he saw it was Andy and his two crones.

"Hey fag" Andy said, "where do ya think your going?"

Clark tired to walk pass but one of the crones pushed him against the wall, harder this time, his books falling this time.

"We're talking to you" Andy said "and your going to respect us when we talk to you?" he punched Clark across the face, sending him to the ground.

"Fucking fag" Andy hissed, spitting on Clark.

"Go suck a dick why don't ya" one of his friends hissed.

"Your pathetic Leachman" Andy said "not only are you a genetic defect but your weak. You will always be a loser and never more". He kicked Clark across the stomach. He felt the wind go out of him, causing him to gasp for breath.

Andy and his friends began to walk off, laughing and high fiving one another. And of course, no one did anything about it. All just going on like nothing happened, as if this kind of stuff occured every other day.

Clark lifted himself slightly, watching as Andy walked off. He felt something inside him snap. All the rage he had felt towards Andy, to this school, to his life, suddenly seemed to boil over.

A fire seemed to go off inside him, a fire that began to course through his veins, a strange sensation that gave him the sense of power.

And Clark's brown eyes suddenly turned into the color of a raging flame. A burning fire that boiled in the iris of his eye, just waiting to be let loose.

From out of nowhere, one of the bottom cuffs of Andy's pants suddenly caught on fire.

At first, no one noticed it, not even Andy. Then one of his friends looked and saw the flame slowly starting to get bigger.

"Holy shit man!" he yelled "your on fire!"

Andy looked at him puzzled, and then a realization crossed his face as he began to feel a searing heat near his ankle. Looking down, he saw the flame and began to shake his leg frantically.

"Put it out, put it out!" he yelled. Soon, everyone began to notice and began to scream as the fire on Andy's pants began to get bigger.

Clark could only look in astonishment at what was going on, still trying to process what had just happened. The fire inside him suddenly seemed to die down and his eyes turned back into there regular color. Picking up his books, he made his way threw the growing pandemonium, the sound of Andy screaming still being heard in the background.

* * *

Clark quickly ran into the boy's bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. What had just happened there? He thought. He remembered feeling this heat inside him, this power that made him feel invincible. And he was just so concentrated on Andy and before he knew it, his pants caught on fire. 

Wait Clark thought, did I do that? No, it's not possible. People can't do that, that only happens in comic books or movies, not in real life. But then again, what was that fire he felt? That surge in his body that seemed to rush through him.

Is it possible? He thought. Looking around, he saw no one else inside the bathroom. The bell rung and after a few minutes the halls outside grew quite. Clark went into one of the stalls and locked the door. Sitting down on the toilet, he took out a piece of paper. He felt insane for doing this but he had to be sure.

Okay he thought think, how did I do that before? He remembered the heat coming when he got angry, with Andy and everything else. Okay, so he had to get angry. He began to try and get angry again but it just didn't seem to be working. Nothing was happening, no surge inside him, no fire, nothing.

Maybe I need to concentrate a bit more? He thought. Staring at the piece of paper, he began to think as hard as he could, his face screwing up and pressure entering his brain. But still, nothing happened. He let out a big breath. This isn't working he thought.

"No" Clark said, "Come on Leachman, think, think, think! You can do this, just concentrate, concentrate, concentrate…"

He kept on repeating the word, soon turning into some sorta chant. He kept staring at the paper, concentrating, telling his brain to set it on fire. Set it on fire he thought set it on fire.

His eyes locked onto the paper, he began to search inside him, looking for that power he felt. Set it on fire he thought set it on fire. He thought of Andy, all that he had done to him, the beatings, the humiliation, everything he had done to make his life miserable.

And Clark found it. Digging deep, he felt the surge come back, feeling it course threw his veins. His eyes went fiery again and then, the paper caught on fire. At first it only began at the tip but this it slowly began to spread, eating away at the page.

As Clark held it, he saw the flames reach his fingers…yet it didn't hurt. Then the page crumpled into a black heap against Clark's hands, falling to the floor.

"I did it" Clark said breathlessly, a smile creeping on his face "I did it, I did it!" he got up of the toilet, grabbed his books, and walked out of the bathroom. Feeling like he was on top of the world, he made his way to biology class.

* * *

**Authors note: reviews appreciated people.**


	2. Dalton Abbot

_London, England_

Dalton was running late. His alarm didn't go off this morning and he slept in almost an hour over. When he woke up and saw the clock read 7: 21, he naturally panicked and quickly got out of bed, changing into his business suit in a hurry, brushing his teeth hastily, grabbing his keys, and making his way out of his apartment, down the elevator, and out into the bustling streets of London.

Dalton Abbot was a thirty one year old man with jet black hair cut extremely short, pale blue eyes, and a slight, tall stature. He had originally grown up in Essex, in the northern reaches of the Harlow district. He then attended the University of Essex, where he got a degree in business and after a few years of working steadily, he then moved to London, where he eventually landed a job as a stockbroker in the prominent business district of the City. It has always been his dream to one day travel to New York and work at Wall Street but as the years went by, that dream slowly began to fade away until he found himself in stuck a rut.

He made his way down into the London Underground, pushing his way through the throngs of people, saying sorry at everyone he bumped into. After a good few minutes of urging the train to go faster, he found himself at his destination in no time.

"Fuck!" he yelled loudly, looking at the time, causing a great deal of people to turn in his direction. He got off at Tower Hill, made his out of the Underground, and back onto the streets of London.

Looking down at his watch, it now read 7: 49. He had to hurry if not to be late. As he made his way down the street he heard someone call behind him.

"Dalton!" turning around, he saw Chris Littleton running up to him. Chris was Dalton's best friend, both of them having to work with each other for nearly six years now. Chris was a bit shorter then Dalton with a head of frazzled red hair and startling green eyes hidden under horn rimmed glasses.

"Hey Chris" Dalton said, "I see yourr running late as well?"

"Tell me about it" Chris said, "My damn alarm clock didn't go off this morning".

"Same here" Dalton said.

"Weird coincidence huh?" Chris said as they rounded a corner. All of a sudden, Dalton felt a bit nauseous. His eyes suddenly blurred up and he had to steady himself on the side of a building.

"Whoa mate" Chris said, "You don't look so well, ya'll right?"

Dalton shook his head, the feeling passing "ya I'm fine. Just got a bit woozy there that's all".

"Did ya eat something foul last night?" Chris asked.

"No, not that I can think off" Dalton said as they began to walk again.

"Well, what did ya do last night?"

Dalton shrugged "nothing much, just watched the football game that's all".

Chris rolled his eyes "I swear mate, we need to get you some pussy. All you ever do is watch football! I mean the only time you get out is during the weekends".

"Yeah and we usually just go to some bar and get drunk of our ass" Dalton said "besides, what's wrong with the way I spend my nights?"

"Nothing" Chris said "its just, when was the last time you got some action? I mean, if ya had a girl at home maybe things wouldn't be so boring for you".

"Hey now, I have my share of fun" he shot back "I don't only go with you and yourr friends to some bar to drink Guinness".

Chris rolled his eyes "sure, you keep telling yourself that mate". It happened again. Dalton felt that nausea and his eyes began to blur up. Shaking his head, the feeling passed yet again. What is wrong with me today? He thought.

"You sure your okay their mate?" Chris asked.

"Yes Chris, I am fine" Dalton said "I'm just feeling a bit-" but before, he could finish, the nausea hit again. His eyes blurred up until everything was white as snow. He found himself looking out some street near Bishopgate, his gaze diverted to a woman in a business suit with bright red lipstick and tight blonde hair walking down the street, busy with both a cell phone and blackberry in hand. So busy in fact, that as she crossed the street she didn't notice the bus coming right at her. He saw her look up at the last minute before the bus hit her.

Dalton found himself back on the street, not moving and gazing off into space. He then realized that Chris was shaking him.

"Hey Dalton!"

"W-what?" Dalton said, shaking his head "what the hell happened?"

"You totally spaced man!" Chris said "one minute you were talking and the next you go as rigid as a statue and began to stare off like some deer in the headlights"

He looked at Chris funny "I did?"

"You sure your alright?" Chris asked, his face curious.

"Ya, I'm fine. Honest" he said, beginning to walk gain "maybe I just put drank to much coffee this morning".

"Yeah, I'm sure," Chris said sarcastically. They rounded a corner and spotted a bus just beginning to load people on.

"Oh, hurry Dalton!" Chris said, "Fore it takes off without us!" it was then Dalton realized they were still going to be late if they didn't hurry. Spurred by this, the two quickly ran down the street, just barely catching the bus as it began to close its doors.

The two found some empty seats near the back of the bus. As they sat there, Dalton couldn't help but think about…well, what happened back there. One minute he was walking down the street, the next he starts seeing this image of a woman getting hit by a bus, and then he finds himself back where he started. Almost like a…vision.

* * *

Chris shook his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance "come on, this is our stop" Chris said. Grabbing his briefcase, he followed Chris out of the bus. They were now just a few minutes away from the building the worked at. 

"Are we gonna make it?" Dalton asked.

Chris looked at his watch "nope, looks like were late".

"Damn" he said, "there goes my perfect attendance record". The men laughed as they stepped out into the street. They began to walk down the street and Dalton couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. And thats when he saw her, from across the street, he saw that woman.

It was the same woman he had seen before, in the same business suit, same red lipstick, tight blonde hair, and she was talking on a cell phone while punching on her blackberry, just like before. At first, Dalton thought he was seeing things. Rubbing his eyes, he looked again and there she was. This was not his imagination, she was real all right.

Following his insticts, he looked down the street and saw another bus heading up. He looked back at her and saw she was beginning to walk across, not bothering to look up. She's going to be hit! He thought. Almost without thinking, he began to run across the street towards her.

The bus came into view; she looked up to see it coming and Dalton grabbed her by the waist and hauled her out of the way just before the bus hit.

Steadying himself, he looked at the woman "are you all right?" he said.

"Y-yeah" she said, a bit shocked by what happened "I didn't even see it coming! You saved my life!"

Dalton began to blush "oh, it was nothing".

Before he could stop her, she embraced him in a tight hug. At first, he didn't know what to do, a bit lost as to do next. He tried to say something but she she pulled away, kissed him on the cheek, and said "thank you", all before he could get it out.

she then turned around and began to hurry on across the street back into the crowd of people.

"Whoa Dalton!" Chris said, coming up behind him "that was fucking amazing there! You saved that bitch from getting her ass completely flattened".

"Oh come on Chris," he said as they began to walk "it was no big deal".

"It is a big deal when you save someone" Chris said "wait, did you get her number?"

"Uh, no" Dalton said uncertainty.

"God damn it Abbot!" Chris exclaimed, "That could have been your one chance at getting the girl! I can't believe you blew it! Ug, the one chance for you to actually have sex and you completely blew it!" Dalton could only chuckle as Chris kept up his rant before they reached the office building.

They walked into the main building, showed them their ID cards, and took the elevator up to their floor.

"I can't believe it" Chris said, "I swear Dalton, the ladies are not your thing".

"Oh and what are you?" Dalton said "the guru on women studies?"

Chris just grunted "wanker" he said.

"Hey now, was that very nice?" Dalton said in a chiding voice.

"Oh shut up," Chris said. The elevator pinged once they reached their floor.

"Ready for another fun filled day of stock broking?" Dalton said.

Chris smiled "as I'll ever be". The door slid opened and they stepped out.

* * *

If you have ever seen the inside of a stock broking work place, then you know just how chaotic a place is. You got telephones going off every ten seconds, people rushing back in forth with files in hand, lots of screaming going on, and every one just seems like they are on a sugar rush. 

The two men made their way through the chaos to their desks, which happened to be right next to one another.

"their you two are!" said Fred Smithton, their head advisor, walking over to them. a man in his early sixties, he was a bit short with graying hair and an already wrinkled face.

"sorry boss" Chris said "got caught up".

"well, get on your stations" Fred said "your phones have been ringing for five minutes straight now and we don't want to be losing important clients".

"yes sir" the two men said. Fred nodded and let them get to work. For the rest of the morning, Dalton was on the phone with each of his clients, advising them on which stocks to take and which to drop. Rushing back and forth with important papers just handed to him, basically another day at the office.

"okay Mr. Donner" Dalton said, on the phone with one of his biggest clients "looking at the things are going, if you wanna make a big investment, I would say go with either E-Trade or Itex".

"what would you advise?" the man asked on the other line.

"both seem a safe bet to me" Dalton said "but, they could change at any time".

"okay, you decide" Mr. Donner said. This took Dalton by surprise, Mr. Donner had never trusted him to make one of his stock exchanges in the entire three years he had been his client.

"are you sure sir?" Dalton asked.

"I am sure" Mr. Donner said "just make sure it is the right choice. Call me back with how it goes". He then hung up. oh crap Dalton thought what to do? Okay wait, calm down, you can do this.

He quickly scanned threw the files of both stocks. Both seemed solid deals but it seemed E-Trade was the safer bet, Itex a bit more on the risky side.

"hey Chris" Dalton said as he came back from an errand.

"yeah?" he asked.

"one of my clients has just trusted me with exchanging a stock, a big client. Which of these look safer?" Chris looked over at the files.

"I'd say go with E-Trade" he said.

"that's what I was thinking as well" Dalton moved his chair over to his computer and pulled up the stock. And thats when he felt that nausea hit again, his eyes blurring up once more and everything going white.

He saw himself exchanging the stock to E-Trade, only to see a few minutes later the stocks take a huge nosedive. A move that would cost someone nearly tens of thousands of dollars, maybe even close to a million dollars. But the Itex one, however, began to go up and up and up.

Dalton returned back to reality. No he thought, not E-Trade. Pulling down the file, he took up Itex's instead and before he could stop himself, he had made the exchange.

At first, he couldn't believe he had just done that. He had made a gamble on a risky stoke all because of some sorta…vision or whatever you like to call it. All he could do was watch how the stoke played out.

At first, nothing really happened. Then the stock began to slip. Oh shit Dalton thought I totally messed up! but then it began to rise. Slowly but surely, it began to rise until the stock suddenly began to spike. He had struck gold.

"oh my god!" he said "Chris look at this!"

he came over "what is it?" he then looked at the screen "holy mother of Jesus, is that right?" he peered closer at the screen "it is! Is this the E-Trade stock?"

"no, the Itex one" Dalton said. He just couldn't believe his luck.

"hey Fred!" Chris exclaimed as he walked past "take a look at this!"

Fred walked over "what the hell is going on?" he then looked at the screen "holy shit, look at that! What stock is this?"

"the Itex one sir" Dalton said "it just going through the roof".

"well, I don't know how you did it but it worked!" Fred said "keep it up Abbot". As soon as he finished, he got up and began to quickly bark orders out to people to make exchanges to Itex as soon as possible.

"wow Dalton" Chris said "first saving that chick and now this? You are on a roll today". He made his way to his desk, muttering something about Dalton being a lucky son of a bitch.

"yeah" Dalton said "some roll indeed".


	3. Yuri Pavlova

_Moscow, Russia_

Yuri finished lacing up his skates, grabbed his hockey stick, and made his way onto the ice. The team formed a line at the coaches command as he began to tell the team what he excepted out of them and congratulating them on making it on the team.

It had taken Yuri nearly three years of training for him to finally make it onto a professional hockey team. He may not be as big as some of the other players but he was extremely fast and was an excellent scorer. The coach finished up his speech and began to order out the first drill for the team.

Yuri Pavlova was a muscular twenty eight year old with light brown hair died blonde at the tips and a rough face with dark brown eyes and five o'clock shadow. He may only be a little over 5'4 but he was still a pretty formidable person, one who could easily take down someone well over his size. It had always been his dream to someday play for the Olympic hockey team and represent his country and perhaps win the gold medal. He started hockey when he was only six and slowly began to work his way up, first his high school team, then a regional team, and now after almost twenty two years, it seemed his goal was almost within reach once he found out he had made the professional team. Now, all he had to do was work his ass off and hopefully, his dream of playing the Olympic team would become reality.

The coach first started them of by having them sprint from the goal line to middle line. The players squared off and then the coach blew his whistle.

Instantly, Yuri took off, pushing down onto the ice. He was one of the first to reach the middle line and right when he reached it, he quickly turned around and began to push off again back towards the goal line.

The coach kept them going at this for another twenty minutes. Yuri was beginning to tire after each run, slowly losing speed and beginning to drop behind the others. Not wanting to disappoint on his first day, he dug deep down inside him and quickly began to pick up speed until he soon began to pull ahead of the others.

And after one more sprint, the coach finally whistled for the men to stop. Everyone was panting, red faced and sweaty. Yuri took a large swig of his water, the cold liquid a refreshing relief to his dry throat. The coach only allowed them a short break before putting them back to work.

They started with a simple scoring exercise, first bring the puck up to the goal and shoot, and then shoot again with a second puck. Yuri began to skate for the goal, the goalie bracing for the shot. He first tried to trick the goalie, aiming for one end of the goal and then hitting it for the other. The goalie saw this and quickly blocked his shot.

Cursing, he immediately went for the second puck, determined to score. As soon as he reached the puck he took the shot but the goalie blocked this easily. Yuri cursed again and skated to the back of the line. I'll get him next time he thought.

When his turn came again, he took of for the goalie. This time, he didn't try anything to fake the person out; he knew the goalie was excepting this. Instead, he immediately headed for the goal and waited for an opening. He saw an opening over the goalies shoulder as he tried to shift with Yuri's movement. Without hesitating, he slapped the puck, watching the black disc go sailing threw the air. It went over the goalie and right into the net.

Without waiting, he went for the second puck and took a shot at his exposed left side. But, the goalie was already ready for this and bended his knee to block it. It was bittersweet but at least he scored one goal.

For the rest of practice, things seemed to be looking up for Yuri. It wasn't like he was the best on the team but at least he could say he was in the top five or ten at least.

He skated over to the box, found a spot on the bench, and began to unlace his skates. A few players congratulated him as they made their way into the box. Yuri couldn't help but feel proud of himself. Just one step closer to his dream.

He made his way out of the rink and into the locker room where he showered and changed into a fresh pair of clothes (pair of jeans and a dark red sweatshirt). When he had packed up everything in his sports bag, he headed outside, started up his car, and pulled out of the rinks parking lot.

It was beginning to snow in the city of Moscow, a light flurry that soon turned into a heavy downpour. Luckily, he made it back to his apartment building just before things got bad. Heading into the elevator, he pressed for level four.

Once at his floor, he found his apartment door, took out his keys and opened. It was a decent enough apartment with a kitchen, living room, and bed, a steal at the price they were getting.

Yuri and his girlfriend, Ana, had first met each other two years ago. She had come to one of his games by invitation from a friend. At the end, her friend introduced the two of them and pretty soon they began dating.

He sat down on the couch and turned on the television. There was hardly anything on, so he eventually settled on the news channel But just like with every other channel, nothing on. oh well, better then nothing he thought

He soon heard the door open. Ana must be back from work he thought.

"Hey" he called to her.

"Hey" she said, walking over to the couch and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Ana was a skinny woman, about three years younger then Yuri. She had long, wavy black hair and brilliant green eyes on a delicate looking face.

"How was your first practice?" she said, sitting down next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Was all right," he said.

"Do anything special?"

Yuri shrugged "not really, basically the same thing we did back in regional teams. How was your day?"

"Nothing special" she said, "then again, hardly anything happens in the catering business".

"Oh come on, that isn't true" he said teasingly.

Ana laughed "Well, we did add something new to the menu".

"Really? What?"

"We added peas," she said. They both laughed a little, Ana leaning in and kissing him. They both kissed each other for a few minutes before pulling away, both smiling.

"I'm gonna go get a drink" he said, getting up and heading to the kitchen fridge, pulling out a can of beer.

"You want anything?" he called.

"Just a water" she replied. He walked to the pantry, pulled out a cup, and filled it up with water from the sink.

"Oh, can you put ice in it?" she asked.

"Sure" he said. Turning around, he clenched his fist and concentrated. He felt a cold lump beginning to form underneath his clenched palm. When it became just big enough, he grinded his hand and began to crush the lump into multiple pieces. Once he was done, he opened his hand and three chunks of ice fell into the glass, crackling slightly as they hit the water.

He walked back over to the couch "here you go" he said, handing her the glass.

"Thanks" she said, taking a sip.

They spent the remainder of the time watching the news until Yuri finished his beer.

"I'm heading to the gym," he said, getting up.

"Now?" she said, "but its really coming down out there. And aren't you tired out from practice?"

"I can take it" he said "besides, I have to if I'm gonna have a chance at being on the team" he leaned over and kissed her.

"I'll be back soon" he said "don't worry".

"All right" she said "but be careful out there, I ain't kidding when I say its coming down".

"Don't worry," he said, grabbing his keys "I'll be fine". He made his way to the elevator, pushed for the ground floor, and got to his car. He pulled out of the parking lot and into the street.

Ana wasn't kidding, it was really coming down. However, that problem could be easily fixed. Raising his hand, he concentrated for the snow to move out of the way. And as if a gust of wind appeared, the snow parted to give him a clear view of the street. With his sight clear, he turned on the green light and continued on to the gym.

* * *

He pulled up to the local gym here. It wasn't the best place but it was closest to the apartment and was a pretty decent gym if he said so himself. He parked his car, got out into the rapidly increasing snowfall, and quickly made his way inside. 

"Hello Yuri" said the receptionist, Nadia.

"Hey Nadia" he said "busy day?"

"No, not really" she said "just the usual amount".

"And have you broken it off with that boyfriend of yours?" he asked as he walked to the weight room.

"Not yet" she called "but I promise I will do it tonight".

"Sure Nadia, sure" he said in a joking voice.

The weight room had just about every single one of the necessary equipment you can imagine. Yuri didn't need any high tech devices; anything that simply got the job done was sufficient enough.

He first went to weight machine, starting off at a comfortable 120 and slowly working his way up. Then he hopped on the treadmill for a quick jog, then did a few curls, and a few rounds on the leg press.

Once he was all warmed up, he headed over to the bench press and began to put on the weights.

"Well hey there Pavlova" looking up, he saw with great distain it was Mikhail Pushkin. For as long as Yuri can remember, they had both been enemies with one another, trying to out perform each other on the ice. He to had made the same team as Yuri did and like him seemed to be one of the top five or ten.

Mikhail was a bit taller then Yuri with a ragged face, cobalt colored eyes and extremely short black hair. He had a bit more of a build then Yuri as well but he knew that he was more then a match for him.

"Hello Pushkin" he said.

"Two forty" Mikhail said "you seem to be adding it on there Pavlova".

"Have to keep in shape" he replied "if I wanna be the best". He stared him straight in the eye, the same challenging look he always gave Mikhail.

"Could ya spot me?" he asked. Mikhail just shrugged as Yuri got under the bar, Mikhail waiting for him to get ready. He then lifted up the bar, set it into Yuri's hands and watched over him as he began to lift.

"So you were pretty good out there," Mikhail said, "I was surprised, didn't really think you could hold your own against the big dogs".

"Well once they let you on," Yuri said as he lifted the bar "I realized that it was going to be all that difficult".

He chuckled a bit "funny Pavlova" he said "why don't you save that attitude for on the ice?"

"Oh what" Yuri said, bringing the weight down "now your trying to act like the clichéd rival?" he set the weight down and got up.

"Only twenty reps?" Mikhail said, "If you're so tough, I'm sure you could have done at least five more".

"Like to see you try," he said, whipping a towel across his sweaty face.

"You know" he said, walking over to him a bit "you can back talk me all you want but in the end it doesn't make you the better skater".

"Oh and you are?" Yuri said, standing up.

"As a matter of fact" Mikhail said, "I am. I have been able to skate circles around you for years and just because you're in the big leagues doesn't mean I still can".

"Whatever happened to save it for the ice?" Yuri shot back, taking a step forward until he was right in Mikhail's ugly face. The two men stared at each other, eyes locked, tension filling the air.

Eventually, Mikhail whimped out "whatever" he said, picking up his towel and beginning to walk away "just you wait Pavlova, we'll soon see who's the better skater".

Yuri faked laugh and held out his hand and began to form a small sheet of ice on the weight room floor. Without even looking down, Mikhail stepped right onto it and took a tumble to the ground.

"Smooth" Yuri said as he walked past him, quickly making the ice sheet disappear before Mikhail knew what had happened to him.

Man he thought these powers sure do come in handy.

* * *

**Authors note: keep those reviews coming, very appreciated people.**


	4. Rika Ichikawa

_Tokyo, Japan_

The blinking light of the alarm clock woke Rika from her dead sleep. Turning it off, she reluctantly got out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the light and turned the shower knob on, a stream of water coming down from the facet head. She put a hand under the stream and waited for the water to warm up before stripping of her clothes and stepping in, letting the warm water run down her skin.

She stepped out of the shower after a few minutes and wrapped a towel around his slender body, letting the water drip from her short black hair. Once she dried up, she put on her school uniform (the traditional sailor outfit) and walked out of her room to find her dad sitting at the kitchen table, drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper.

Rika Ichikawa felt like she was every other sixteen-year-old girl in Japan. Same short black hair, almond colored eyes, and a plain looking face. She was on the track team at her school, had a great group of friends, and always tried to look forward, never back. She tried to not let anything get her down…even the fact that she was deaf. When she was only three months old, Rika came down with a very serious illness that the doctors didn't think she would recover from. But miraculously, she pulled through, but it came at a price. The disease had left her permanently deaf in both ears. She didn't have any real hard feelings about it; sure she sometimes wished she could hear but never all the time. Besides, growing up in Tokyo your whole life, you can only learn to live with your disability and never try to let it run your life.

_Morning_ she signed to her dad. He waved back at her.

_Shouldn't you be heading to school?_ He asked. Rika looked over at the clock and realized that she really should be getting to school.

_Right, sorry_ she signed, grabbing her school bag and slinging it over one shoulder.

_I won't be here when you get home_ her father said _so your gonna have to order out._

_Again? _She asked _that's five days in a row that you've been out late._

_Its work sweetie_ he replied _don't worry; it shouldn't last much longer, okay?_

_I swear dad, you should go out with someone_ Rika signed

_And why should I do that? _He asked.

_I dunno_ Rika said _maybe so you would have something else to do besides work and taking care of me._

Her father laughed a little _I will start dating when I feel like I can._

It had been a little over two years since her mom died of brain cancer. Rika missed her deeply but she tried not to dwell on it, knowing her mom wouldn't want her to be sad all the time. She had tried to convince her dad on more then one occasion to try and date other people but every time he refused. Rika always thought it was because her dad still retained some feelings for her mom and that going out with someone would be like disrespecting her memory or something.

_Have a nice day_ her father signed.

Rika nodded, waved bye to her dad, and stepped out of their apartment complex. She quickly got into the elevator before it closed. She pressed for the ground floor, waiting as the numbers clicked down. She reached her floor and the door opened out into the main lobby. Walking out, she waved to the receptionist, an old man who was somewhere in his late seventies. He waved back, flashing her one of his kind smiles, and she headed out into the streets.

She walked for a few blocks before meeting up Kazumi, her best friend. Both of them attended a special school for the deaf, along with all their friends. At first, Rika insisted to her dad that she go to a regular school like any other kid but it unfortunately, didn't work out so well. It was hard for her to make friends and the teachers would talk to fast for her to read their lips. So she eventually gave up on going to a regular school, so when she entered her tenth year she transferred to one of the top schools for the deaf called the Shinjuku School for the Hearing Impared. It was here that she actually fit in and it was where she met Kazumi.

_Hey_ Kazumi signed to her once Rika reached the street corner she was at.

_Hey_ Rika replied. They waited for the stop sign to change before crossing the busy street, careful not to lose each other in the big crowd.

_So how was your weekend?_ Rika asked.

_Nothing special_ Kazumi replied _Toyama and me just went to the movies._ Toyama was Kazumi's boyfriend, who also attended their school. They had only been going out for a few weeks now but she really seemed to like him.

_Oh really?_ Rika asked _NOTHING happened?_

Kazumi grinned _well, we sorta made out in the theatre._

_Anything else?_ Rika asked, a devious smile on her face.

_Oh shut up _Kazumi exclaimed _we both decided that we were going to take it slow._

Rika rolled her eyes _okay, whatever you say Kazumi._

_And your one to be talking _Kazumi said _you don't even have a boyfriend._

_And when I do have a boyfriend_ Rika signed _all we are going to do is fuck like rabbits._

_Your sick!_ Kazumi signed, pushing her a bit. Rika pushed back as well and the two began to laugh.

When they calmed down a bit, Kazumi signed _what about you? What did you do this week?_

Rika shrugged _nothing much really, just stayed at home most of the time._

_Your dad still working late?_ She asked.

_Yeah _Rika replied.

_Why all of a sudden all the work?_ Kazumi asked _he never had to work so much before._

_He says that something big is going to happen_ Rika replied _I tried to ask him what it was and he simply said it wasn't important._

_Well, it has to be important if he's working so much _Kazumi replied.

_That's what I said_ Rika exclaimed _and yet he still won't tell me._

Kazumi shrugged _oh well, it's probably nothing really important. I mean, what exactly does your father do again?_

_I'm not sure either_ Rika signed _he works for this one company called Itex, but I'm not really sure what it is they do._

_Oh well_ Kazumi replied _its probably nothing._

They soon arrived at their school, kids already beginning to walk inside. They headed into the building, where Rika saw she only had a few minutes to go before her first class started.

_I got to go_ Rika signed _I'll see you at track practice._

_Okay_ Kazumi replied _bye!_

Rika waved goodbye and headed down the hall to her locker. She quickly grabbed her textbooks, shut her locker, and made her way upstairs to her first class. Thankfully, she made it before the light went off in the hall, signaling the start of class.

Taking her seat in the second row, the teacher immediately began the class. As he began to lecture on the Hiroshima bomb, Rika began to gaze out the window, watching as the cars went by down below.

She yawned, feeling tired all of a sudden. Looking up at the clock, she had another forty-nine minutes to go. She sighed, feeling that this was going to be the beginning of a long day.

As the teacher kept on lecturing, Rika began to doze off, getting more tired as the minutes seemed to get slower and slower. She closed her eyes for just a second, just to rest her eyes a bit, and she fell asleep.

No she thought, snapping her eyes open. Stay focused, stay…then she realized something. She was out of her seat but no one seemed to notice. Looking around, she saw the teacher was looking directly at the class, still going on about Hiroshima. But never once did he point out to her to sit down.

What's going on? She thought, why is everyone just ignoring me…she looked over at her desk and screamed. Cause sitting there plain as day...was herself. At her desk, head propped on her hand, sleeping, almost like her clone.

She backed up from the shock but then stopped, feeling something was wrong. Looking down, she saw why. She was standing right in the middle of one of her student's desk, literally. As if the thing was a hologram, she seemed to have been sliced of from the other half of her body. Putting her hands down, she saw with increasing horror as they passed right threw the desk.

She quickly got out from the desk only to discover something else. She was floating almost two inches of the ground. What the hell is happening to me she thought? First she finds herself somehow 'out' of her body, can suddenly walk threw objects, seemingly invisible to others, and was now floating off the ground.

Turning to one of her classmates, she began to wave her hands in front of his and began yelling at him. Nothing, no response. He just kept going as if he'd hadn't seen her. She raised a hand to his face and watched as it passed right threw him. She swiped her hand threw him again, still finding it hard to believe what she saw. And just to make sure, she did it once more.

This isn't real she thought none of this is real. Its all a dream, a really weird dream, I just have to wake up. She tried, tried to force herself to wake up. She shut her eyes really tight, imagining her to wake up, but when she opened them, nothing. She was still there, floating off the ground, watching herself sleep at her desk.

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up she said, pounding at her head. Okay, calm down she thought just think. She turned to look at her sleeping body, still propped up on her hand, still not responding. A thought crossed her mind. It was only an idea but it wouldn't kill her to try it or risk being stuck like this forever.

She floated over to her body and pressed a hand against her body's face. It passed threw just like it did with the guy. Now, to put her idea to work. She leaned her face forward and entered her body.

Rika immediately opened her eyes and found herself sitting at her desk. Looking down in surprise, she touched the wood and didn't pass through it. It worked she thought.

She saw the blinking light go off, signaling classes end. Picking up her books and bag, she hurried out of the class, the event still to fresh in her mind. It was a dream she thought only a dream.

And yet, it felt so real.

* * *

As hard as she tried, Rika just couldn't shake of the event in history class. She kept on repeating to herself that what happened was only a very weird dream but there was this one part of her that just couldn't shake the feeling that it actually happened. 

She didn't pay much attention in any of her classes, still thinking about the event. Even track practice didn't help get her mind of it. She knew she wasn't at her best and her performance suffered. She came in dead last after one sprint, causing her coach Mr. Oguchi to pull her aside.

_What's wrong Rika? _He signed _you are not performing like you usually do._

_Sorry coach_ she replied _I'm just a bit distracted today, that's all._

_Well, I only hope this doesn't last_ Mr. Oguchi signed _we have a very important meet coming up and I can't have one of my best athletes not performing at her best._

_I know coach_ she signed _don't worry, I'll do better._ Her coach seemed satisfied enough and dismissed her. As she walked over, Kazumi ran up to her.

_You all right?_ She asked_ you seemed to be lagging behind today._

_I know, its just I got a lot on my mind_ Rika replied.

_Are you sure?_

_Yes, I'm sure Kazumi _Rika signed _I've just been having a pretty weird day._

_How so?_ Kazumi asked. Rika was tempted to tell her about the event from first period but she knew very well that Kazumi would look at her as if she lost her mind. So, she lied.

_Oh nothing _Rika answered _its just…one of those days. You know?_

_Ya, I know_ Kazumi replied _oh well, everyone gets them. But you will be fine for the meet right?_

_Don't worry, I'll be fine_ Rika signed as they made their way to the locker room.

_You're going to come with us to the club right?_ Kazumi asked. 

_Of course_ Rika replied.

_You're sure your dad won't mind?_

_No, he'll be out all night, so I won't have to worry_. They quickly changed out of their track uniforms and into their clothes.

They met up with the other girls and headed for the local party club called The Dot, which as usual was full of other school kids. They got themselves a table and ordered a round of food and began to chat.

Though Rika tried to act normal, she still couldn't get the event out of her head. It kept on playing in her mind over and over again. Stop thinking about it she thought it didn't happen, it was only a dream. Then she realized that her friend Hitomi was talking to her.

_Hey!_ She signed _are you even listening to me?_

_I'm sorry Hitomi_ Rika signed _I sort of spaced out a bit, please go on._ She went on about telling them how this guy in third period tried to get a peek up her skirt but Rika wasn't really listening. The event still in her mind.

It was only a dream…right?


	5. Asheera Kapadia

_Mumbai, India_

Asheera found herself caught in the Mumbai traffic. At the pace the traffic was going, she was bound to be late for her first class. She got out her cell phone from her purse and dialed the college she worked at, telling them she was going to be running a few minutes late. Once her claim was confirmed, she hung up her cell and inched her small car forward as the traffic began to move.

Asheera Kapadia was a forty nine year old woman with long flowing black hair that she always kept in a tight bun, kind brown eyes, and a finely aged face that suited her years. She had only recently gotten a job at the University of Mumbai only two years ago as a biotechnology and biology professor, biotechnology being her major. She was never used to big cities, having grown up a poor childhood in the northern reaches of India. She was one of the lucky few girls at her village to receive an education. Her parents believed that they should only take care of as many kids as they could afford, a rarity in her village where tradition was everything. After receiving an initial education, she moved to the city and attended a real high school and became top of her class. She then moved to England and got her degree from Cambridge and studied for another four more years at Brown before moving back to India.

She drifted from job to job before finally getting the teachers spot at the university. Sure, it meant having to move to the city but the pay was good and if she wanted to get far in the scientific world, she first had to become respected.

The traffic soon began to pick up and before she knew it, it had all but cleared up. Maybe I'm not going to be as late as I thought, she said to herself.

After a few minutes, she was soon passing the Bollywood studios. Never in her two years in Mumbai had she seen one star of her favorite movies. However, she always kept her fingers crossed that if she kept on passing the studios, she would just be able to catch a glimpse of them.

She drove across the city before pulling up to the university. She found a spot in the teachers parking area, turned off her car, grabbed her purse and binder, and climbed out of the car. She adjusted her dark red sari and began to walk into the building.

She found her classroom, which was located on the second floor of the building. She walked in to see most of her class had arrived.

"All right, all right" she said, "everyone sit, social hour is over" she walked over to her desk and set her purse and binder down. She then got out a clipboard and attendance sheet.

"Everyone, sign your names in as the clipboard comes to you" she said, already writing on the board behind her. When she was done, she walked over to the person who had the clipboard and took it from her. She walked back to the front of the room and set the sheet down at her desk.

"Okay" she said, turning to the class "we have been discussing for weeks now about how DNA affects out bodies. But, can someone ask me what is the impotence of learning about DNA?" she saw one hand go up.

"Yes, Mr. Sen" she said.

"So we can learn about the body and further our knowledge in human life" he said.

"Yes, good answer," she said "but, your only scratching the surface here. Can someone tell me an even greater importance?" she waited a few moments before another student raiser their hand.

"Yes, Mrs. Phalke"

"So that we can trace heredity about ourselves, animals, and how we have evolved from ancient times?"

"Again, good answer" Asheera said "but you are still only scratching the surface, however you are getting closer. Can anyone add on to Mrs. Phalke's answer?" no one raised their hands this time.

"Come on people, what have I been teaching you these past few weeks?" she asked, "what is the one thing that DNA is most crucial to?" still, no one raised their hands.

"What DNA does is meant to store information about the organisms body, like a set of blueprints for how the cells function in the body. It also stores an organisms genes, which can tell us the organisms exact history". She paused for a moment and headed to the board.

"Now, because of DNA's importance, a lot of scientific theory's have been based upon it" she continued, writing something on the board "like for example, it was believed for a time that a person sexual orientation was determined by a person's DNA. Now, today we know that is simply not true, but the DNA still holds a significant purpose. As you all know, DNA is used in a variety of fields like genetic engineering, forensics, bioinformatics, DNA computing, History, and anthropology". As she said this, she wrote these six terms on the board.

"Now, who can tell me how DNA is used in genetic engineering? Yes, Mr. Kahn?"

"Used in recombinant DNA studies, that can improve the function of an organism and to make vaccines in medical research".

"Very good" Asheera said, writing this on the board "now how about forensics? Yes, Mr. Ullal?"

"For genetic fingerprinting, using samples like blood or saliva at a crime scene. This can later be stored in genetic profiling"

"Yes, very good" she wrote this on the board "now, what about bioinformatics? Yes, Mrs. Phalke?"

"Used to manipulate, search, and mine a persons DNA sequence. This is used in computer sciences a lot like algorithms and database theory".

"Yes, excellent answer" Asheera wrote this on the board as well "now, how about computing? Yes, Mrs. Ray?"

"Used as an alternative to the Hamiltonian path problem, because of efficiency, space use, and little power to operate".

"Yes" Asheera said, "now you guys are getting it. Okay, now for history and anthropology. Yes, Mr. Ullal?"

"It contains information on the DNA's history like any mutations it has gone through or difference from other DNA sequences, like phylogeny".

"Yes, you all see now?" she said once she finished writing on the board "DNA is used in all of these important fields to better our information on organisms and our history. If we understand the inner workings of the DNA sequence, we could very well be able to cure genetic defects like cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, hemophilia, and so many other genetic diseases. And, if we can learn about the inner workings of DNA we could also predict what may happen in the future. All over the world, mutations in the DNA are happening, some of them may only be small but some can lead to much bigger things". She stopped when she heard a knock at the door.

She saw it was Mr. Nazeer, one of the vice-chancellors of the school. He was waving for her to come out.

"Okay class" she said, "I need to step out for a moment. So while I'm gone, I want you to write down five more notes you can think of about how DNA affects these fields before I come back". She walked out of the classroom and into the hall where Mr. Nazeer was waiting.

"Ms. Kapadia" he said curtly. Mr. Nazeer was a tall man with curly black hair, small rounded glasses, hard brown eyes, and a haggard face.

"Hello Mr. Nazeer" she said "what brings you to my classroom?"

He coughed and adjusted his tie "yes, well Ms. Kapadia the reason for me being here is to inform you on the…_theory _you plan to present at the convention this week". When he said theory with distain, Asheera knew that it was going to be bad news.

"And?" she asked, "is it any good?"

"Well, you see Ms. Kapadia" he said, "the theory you have proposed is…well, it's a bit outlandish".

"How so?" she asked.

"Well, for one thing, what you are proposing is something out of pure myth. I mean, a genetic code that gives people abilities? That seems to belong more in a fantasy book, not in a scientific presentation".

"I have already told you" she said, "that it is not myth, it is fact. I clearly presented a list of individuals who all have the genetic coding in their genes and not only that, I can give you the list of other researches like myself who believe in this as well-".

"Yes" he said, "you did and while we can support this new discovery, we cannot however support the fact that this code will give people…powers, as you put it".

"I never said powers" she said "all I said was this code could affect people in a different way. Maybe it gives them enhanced abilities, was my specific word, not that they receive powers".

"Even so, Ms. Kapadia" he said, "We believe your theory to be flawed and fabricated and your list of doctors who support your theory are...well, less then satisfactory, so unfortunately you will not be presenting at the convention".

This hit Asheera hard. She had worked months on that theory, scouring the records of almost a thousand people all over the world for the genetic code. She had carefully planned for it, backed up her theory with tons of examples, and to just have it completely rejected over one or two little things? It was absurd.

It was nearly a year ago when it all began. She was testing each of her student's genes for one of her class periods, to show how different or similar two people can be. She was showing the class her own sample when during class she stumbled upon something odd. At first, she dismissed it and went on teaching. But after her last class, she examined her DNA sequence more carefully and found a peculiar thing.

The discovery set of almost a years worth of work. As she dug deeper into the discovery, she found that she was not alone. All over the world, there were people who had the exact same DNA coding and sequence. Some in the U.S. others in England, in Africa, Russia, Japan, and many other locations.

Se she began to research more on the subject, she found that this genetic sequence might somehow influence a person in a particular way. Whether it be heighten senses, increased strength, stronger brainwaves, and many other aspects of the human body that could result in almost unprecedented ways. She had planned to present her discovery to the scientific convention held in New York City but now, it seemed her plans had just been scrapped. All her work…for nothing.

"But I have been preparing for this meeting for months now" she said "I have already been booked to present my findings".

"And we have already informed them that you will not be presenting" he said flatly.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" she asked.

"Because Ms. Kapadia, we already knew how you would take it," he said, eyes hard.

"This is completely unethical" she said "I want to speak with the chancellor about this".

"Look Ms. Kapadia" he said, "I think what is best for you and for the school to let this slide. Cause let me tell you, if you keep on pressing that abomination of a theory in this college or any other college in India, I will see to it personally that you will never work in another university or even be a respected member of the scientific community. Do I make myself clear?"

Asheera was so mad. She couldn't believe that one of the vice-chancellors was blackmailing her to keep quiet about all of this, to simple discard her work as if it meant nothing. She wanted to argue some more but she held her tongue. As much as she hated it, she needed this job. So she kept quiet and nodded.

"Yes sir" she said.

"Good" he said, "now, I believe you have a class to attend to". He walked passed her, heading down the hall before disappearing down the steps.

* * *

Asheera kept quiet for the rest of her classes. Instead, she just assigned them bookwork and simply sat at her desk, still fuming over Mr. Nazeer's actions. She was so thankful when her final class was over. She got her stuff, headed to her car, and drove out of the university grounds. 

She first went to the market to get some supplies, then decided to eat at a local diner, not in the mood to make anything for herself. When she finally got back to her apartment, it was close to ten o'clock. And all she wanted to do was get some rest.

She walked into her apartment, a cozy place if she said so herself. Putting her purse and binder down, she walked over to her closet, changed into her night gown, and walked climbed into her bed.

She turned to her nightstand, which had a small lamp, alarm clock, and a small statue of a horse she had made when she was only six. Ghastly looking thing, she said to herself. She turned on her alarm clock, flicked of the lamp, and gently patted the statue. Climbing into the covers, she turned on her side and closed her eyes. She was soon fast asleep.

Meanwhile, on her nightstand, something quite odd happened. Her little horse statue suddenly twitched. Then, one of its legs kicked, then its head, body, tail, mane, until every part of it was moving all on its own.

It gave a slight nicker, shook its head, and began to trot around the nightstand like a regular horse, while Asheera slept soundly in her bed.

* * *

**Authors note: please people, i need reviews! i don't know if i'm doing a good job or not. see, i'm sort of a perfectionist and unless i get feed back that i'm doing all right, i won't write. so please? for me? help a man out?**


	6. Tyler Morgan

_Sydney, Australia_

"Hey, wake up man!" Tyler felt someone shake his shoulder violently. He first tried to bat away the person's hand, wanting to go back to sleep, but they kept a hold on his shoulder, still shaking him violently.

"Come on Tyler, get up! The guys have already gone down to the beach! Get your ass up!"

"N'all right, all right" Tyler said, "I'm up, quit shaking me already".

Tyler Morgan was a tall; lean twenty two year old with a shag of wild dirty blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a handsome face. If you looked at Tyler's profile, you'd automatically assume he was a dead beat. He had dropped out of high school in his junior year, floated around finding any job he could, didn't own a car, and lived in a run down single floor house with seven other people. Tyler just never saw the point in school, he had always gotten E's in school, so what was the point of going on? Besides, to be a professional surfer you don't need a high school diploma. He had already decided that's what he wanted to be at a young age, surfing was really the only thing he was good at and was a heck of a lot more fun then shluping it in school. Though he hadn't gotten a sponsor yet, he always believed there would come the day when someone will pick him up and then he will be living the life he wanted.

"What time is it?" Tyler asked, as he climbed out of his beat up bed.

"Little over one o'clock" Lance said, digging out his surfboard "now hurry up, there's this huge swell coming in and I don't wanna miss it". Lance was a year older then Tyler and a bit shorter with spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. He and Tyler had been friends for a while now and like their fellow roommates, were excellent surfers.

Tyler quickly slipped on his bathing suit and dug his surfboard out from a pile of clothes and followed Lance, to the door. Just when they were about to open the door, someone else did for them.

Technically, the house wasn't exactly theirs. They had rented the house from this old man Lance knew and they hadn't exactly paid him his rent in almost a month.

"There you are!" he exclaimed "you better have a good explanation for rent being almost a month late!".

"Relax man" Tyler said "we were gonna give you the rent but our other roommate Alex has it and right now she is at the beach".

"Oh yeah" Lance said, "yeah, in fact we were just heading down to go and get her". They pushed passed the old man and began to run down the walkway, luaghing hysterically.

"You lazy free loaders!" he yelled after them "you better get that rent before Wednesday or I'm throwing all your asses out into the street! You hear me!"

"Loud and clear old man!" Tyler yelled back, both he and Lance laughing as they made their way down to the beach.

"Does Alex even have the rent money?" Lance asked.

"Fuck do I know" Tyler replied. They laughed a bit more and soon the beach came into view. Lucky for them, the house they had was close to the beach, and another reason why rent was so high. They made a dash across the street and soon Tyler felt the welcoming sensation of sand in between his toes.

They only needed to look a little bit before finding their group. Running over, they saw them get up and greet them.

"There you two lazy ass are" said Heath, a stocky twenty four year old with long black hair and coffee colored eyes on a shallow face "your just in time, just look at the waves out there". Tyler saw them and realized Lance wasn't kidding when he said there was gonna be a huge swell. Already, the waves were beginning to churn, going higher and higher with each crash of the wave.

"Holy shit!" Tyler exclaimed.

"I told yeah" Lance said "and to think you might have missed it!"

"Well come on" said Lana, a short twenty year old with long sandy hair, pale amber eyes and cherub like cheeks "we don't wanna miss anything".

"Hey, where's Alex?" Tyler asked as they headed for the ocean.

"Uh, I think she went a bit further up the beach" Heath said "but she said she'd be back soon". They reached the water and began to paddle out. It was getting pretty rough, salty waves splashing into Tyler's face, but he fared against much worse conditions then this. He rode over a large wave and then got himself straightened out on the board.

"Okay, which one should we do first?" Lance asked, paddling next to him. Tyler scanned the waters before spotting a pretty large wave starting to form.

"That one!" he said pointing "you ready?" he turned his board around and began to paddle.

"Like I'll ever be" Lance said "I've taken waves three times the size of these!"

"Whatever man" Tyler replied. He felt the wave come up behind him, beginning to lift him up. He quickly got onto his feet, steadied himself, and angled out until he was surfing along. Keeping his body low, he dipped slightly, and brought up his board quickly to the crest, sending a small spray of water into the air. He quickly did a sharp dive, angling himself as he began to outrun the crashing wave.

He spotted Lance go down behind him as the wave got to him. Tyler thinking fast, he swerved on the wave a bit and did a short aerial, landing smoothly back onto the water. He rode his way down as the wave dissipated.

"Nice run there" Lance said, paddling up to him.

"Hate to say for you" Tyler replied.

"Hey losers" Heath said, paddling up to them "see Lance here has already eaten water".

"Shut up man" Lance said, "I'm still a bit tired, that's all".

"Whatever" Heath said "oh look, Lana's going for it". Tyler looked to see Lana's riding a pretty big wave. She began to pump at the wave, generating speed, then she went for the top of the wave and did an off the top. However, she landed awkwardly and did a complete nosedive into the water.

"Ohh!" Heath exclaimed "that's gotta sting. She hit harder then you did Lance".

"I said shut the fuck up!" Lance said, splashing at him.

"Oh what? Now we're five years old again?" Heath teased, splashing at Lance. Soon, a big splashing fight broke out that was only stopped when Lana came paddling over.

"Oh stop you two" she said "quit acting like a bunch of dunces. What are we five years old again?"

"That's what I said!" Heath exclaimed.

"Oh shit guys!" Tyler said, "look at that!" he was pointing ahead of them, where a monster of a wave was beginning to form.

"Holy mother of fuck!" Heath shouted.

"Look at that beast!" Lance said.

"This is it guys" Tyler said, "the one we came out here to ride".

"Fuck yeah we're gonna!" Heath said, already beginning to paddle "last one there pays for dinner!".

"Well, you guys go on ahead" Lana said, "I'll stay here".

"What, chicken?" Tyler teased.

"No, I ain't chicken" Lana said hotly "I just know when I've reached my limit".

"Oh well, your loss" Lance said "come on Tyler, before Heath hogs the entire wave". Without another word, Tyler began to paddle after him. As they approached the wave, it rapidly began to grow in size until it seemingly towered over him.

Quickly turning around, he began to paddle out and instantly felt the surge as his board began to lift. He quickly got to his feet and began to ride. He was almost two stories up, Lance just below him while Heath was just ahead of him.

Tyler began to pump for speed while Heath began to zig zag up and down the waves wall. Lance came shooting out of nowhere, making a direct run for the crest. He broke over the wave, did a flip in the air, before disappearing over the side.

Heath then made a run for the crest as well, ridding along the breaking point of the wave before doing a sharp turn and taking a straight dive back down. Looking over his shoulder, Tyler saw he was just in front of the forming tube. It was a golden opportunity for a tube ride and for Tyler; it was just too good to let it go. So he decided to take the risk.

Ridding the tube or tube riding, is a particularly dangerous surfing move where a surfer moves into position where the wave curls over the top of him, forming a tube, with the rider inside the hollow cylinder portion of the wave. It is a pretty difficult and dangerous move to attempt, the possibility of drowning very high. But it is one of the most sought after move for a surfer to achieve, the kind that can easily land you a sponsorship.

He moved himself in position and began to drop back a little. He heard the sound of the wave beginning to drop and looking over him, he saw the wave beginning to curl over and before he knew it, he was wrapped inside the tunnel. He could hear the roar of the wave as it crashed down behind him and the water rushing over him like a fountain, feeling like he was on top of the world.

However, Tyler must have dropped to far back because almost before he knew it, he felt himself get pulled under as the wave crashed down on him.

He felt the stinging rush of salt water run down his throat and he began to thrash wildly to reach the surface. But the undercurrent had him, rolling him around in circles like a shirt in a washing machine.

He felt himself collide with something hard and everything went black.

* * *

When he came to, bright light filled his eyes and he began to cough up salt water. His body was sore and his head was throbbing, a slow rhythmic thud inside his head. 

"Are you okay Ty?" asked a vaguely familiar voice.

"I'm all right," he said woozily, coughing up another spit full of salt water.

He rubbed his eyes and soon his eyes sight came back. Hovering over him was Alex. She was a pretty girl with short red hair, tanned face dotted with freckles, and a pair of deep green eyes.

"Whoa man" Heath said, appearing over him "you don't look so hot".

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

"Dude, it was awesome!" Lance said, excited face appearing "I can't believe you actually tube ride! It was amazing…until the wave crashed on to you that is".

"What?" he said uncertainly.

"You were dragged under man" Heath said, "hit your head pretty good on the rocks. But don't worry, Alex was here to save ya".

"Okay come on guys" she said "give him some room now".

"All right all right" Heath said "come on Lance, I think I see another sweet one coming up". With that, the two went running off back into the water.

"You sure your all right?" Alex asked.

"Ya, I think so," he said "my head hurts though" he tried to get up but instantly felt nauseous.

"Easy there tough guy" she said "don't over exert yourself now".

He laughed a little "so, did you see it?"

"Ya" she said "I was just paddling down to meet you guys and saw you do it. I have to say, I was pretty impressed".

"Thanks" he said.

"But then, once you got pulled under, I became more worried then impressed".

"Sorry" he said "but you can't except to be perfect the first time. So, how bad's the bump?"

"Well, lets just say you'll have a second head for awhile" she said. Tyler laughed a bit. "But right now, you are done for the day mister" she said in a motherly sort of tone.

"Whatever you say there mom" Tyler replied.

"Hey now, is that any way to treat the person who saved your life?" she said, lightly pushing him, both of them laughing.

Even though Tyler was happy to have avoided his brush with death, there was still a small part of him that wished the wave had gotten him, that Alex hadn't been there to save him, that he would have been washed away forever beneath the tide. At least then, it would prevent…well, _it _from coming out again.

* * *

**Authors note: keep reviewing people!**


	7. Catalina Portillo

_Buenos Aires, Argentina_

Catalina had just returned from her job. She stepped out of the airplane terminal, gotten past security, and hailed a cab to take her into the city. Once she got far enough into the city, she paid the man and got out, walking back home the rest of the way.

Catalina Portillo was a twenty five year old woman with long straight black hair, a kind pretty face, slender looking body, and dark brown eyes. She had grown up a hard life, her mother barley scraping by with raising three kids and a husband who abandoned them on the spot. Because of this, Catalina couldn't afford to go to college and it wasn't like she could get a scholarship when she could barley pull regular B. so once she graduated, she tried her best to find a job to support her mother and two siblings. She kept bouncing around any job with a higher paycheck, the money wasn't good and it barley covered the house mortgage. Then there came the accident when her mom got into a terrible car crash. She had gotten run over by a car, the injury causing her to be paralyzed from the waist down, leaving her bed ridden for the rest of her life. The police never did find out who did it and it has been something that has haunted Catalina for a long time. After that, she had to work two extra jobs just to get by, most nights they couldn't even eat. It was a very tough period for all of them. One day, she got an offer from someone that just couldn't be passed up. A job that promised a lot of money…and a whole lot of risks.

She turned down into an alleyway, trash and litter polluting the entire place. She exited out into a small residential area, where crumbling houses with red bricked roofs stood. Walking a few blocks down, she soon came to their house.

She walked up the overgrown lawn and looked under the welcome mat for the key. She slid the key into the keyhole, opened the door, and walked in.

"Mother" she called "I'm back". Slipping of her plain old shoes, she slung her coat onto the rack and made her way to her mom's room.

Her mom was propped against her pillows, a book in her hand, glasses on. When Catalina walked in, she smiled and put the book down next to her.

"Hello sweetie" she said in her kind voice. Ms. Portillo was a plump woman with long gray hair, a plump face that always sported a smile, and the same dark brown eyes like her daughter.

"Hi Madre" Catalina said, bending down to hug her.

"How was work?" her mom asked as she pulled away.

"Very nice, look at this" she said, digging into her purse and pulling out an envelope that was stuffed with cash.

Her mom's eyes went wide "Catalina!" she exclaimed, "Where did you get all of that?"

"From work mom" she said proudly "mom, there's over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in here!"

"You're kidding?" her mom said "they paid you that much for a simple errand? What was it you were delivering, jewelry?"

Catalina laughed "no mom, it was just business as usual. But do you know what this means? We can pay of the mortgage for another two months! And we can actually get some real food in here!"

Her mom seemed to be on the verge of tears, brining a hand to her mouth "oh dear, I am so proud of you".

Catalina smiled "no, its nothing mom. I'm only looking out for my family".

"Well, I say you do to much for this family" she said "I swear, I thank the good lord for the day you got that job". Catalina smiled awkwardly. See, she wouldn't exactly thank the good lord for what she was doing.

"Okay mom, I think I'm gonna head out and get us some food" Catalina said.

"Right now?" her mom asked "no dear, I think it be best if you rest. After all, a ten hour flight to US can really take a lot out of you".

"I'm fine mom, don't worry," she said "I'll only be a half an hour tops. When I get back, then I'll take a nap".

Her mom shrugged "all right, have it your way. And while your there, could pick up some tea for me?"

"Sure mom" she said "bye".

"Bye dear" her mom then picked up her book and continued reading.

Catalina headed for the door and slipped back on her shoes and walked out the door. She hated having to lie to her mom but it was for the best. After all, if she found out what I really was Catalina did, it would just about break her heart. Cause the truth of the matter was…Catalina was a drug mule.

* * *

She had heard the stories, about girls just like her becoming drug mules. Having to swallow nearly sixty of the large pellets containing the heroin, heading into the US, the process of filtering them out, and the large paycheck given to the girls afterward. 

She also knew very well about the stories. Stories of the pellets rupturing inside the girl's stomach, causing death by overdose. And the girls get cut open like cattle, taking the remaining pellets out of them, and throwing them onto the side of the road like trash.

The risks were great but the rewards were tempting. In the end, Catalina went against what she believed and decided to do it.

The first time was scary and hard. Swallowing the pellets was like trying to inhale golf balls; they were like uncomfortable lumps slowing inching down her throat, as if she had dry swallowed a very large pill. And what was worse, there were about sixty-two other pellets to swallow.

After four hours of downing the pellets, she was given her plane ticket and instructed on what to do. She would meet someone down by the terminal, who will be wearing a red bandana tied across his arm. She would be taken to a motel and given laxatives to get the pellets out. Once all of them were accounted for, she would receive her pay. 2,250 dollars for each pellet.

They were also specific about the risks. Should one pellet be missing, for whatever reason, they would send some people to visit her house and have a talk with her mother, her brothers, and any other relative they could find. They never mentioned the specifics but Catalina knew very well what they were talking about.

She had been doing this now for three years. Thirty-two trips now, thirty two times she could have been killed, thirty two times something would have gone wrong, but here she was. Still alive. She knew that at one point she should stop, stop before her luck ran out. But the money was too much to simply give up. It was what fed her family, what kept them her house; it was what paid for their lives.

After the first time, she met with them again and told them she wanted to continue doing it. They decided to accept her offer and told her that if she was to continue working for them, she will have to commit for another four years in their service. Only one more year to go.

She had already planned to get out of the entire thing when her service was up. She had been saving up her money now for a chance to actually go to college. With it, she could be able to get the education she never got and would finally be able to get a job that didn't stake her life. And by then, her brothers will be out of school and then they could take care of mom while she was away. It seemed the perfect plan.

Every time when she was called to do a trip, she would sometimes think that this would be the one, the one that would do her in. but every time, she would come back, money in hand and ready for when they would call her again.

She had her fair share of bad runs. A few times, some of the girls didn't make it. And when that happened, all she could do was curl up in the mattress as they took the body outside, only to return a few minutes later covered in blood and pellets in hand. That girl would never be seen again.

Soon, all of this will be over. And soon, Catalina will make something of her life besides a drug smuggler.

* * *

Catalina entered the market area, a fairly large district with tents pitched up, the aroma of meats and spices in the air. She made her way across the stands, picking up all the food that they needed, meats, vegetables, fruits, and a few spices. 

When Catalina was paying off her final purchase, she headed over to the tent that sold the tea. Picking through the herbs, she looked for her mom's favorite. A man appeared next to her, who also seemed to be looking through the tea bags. But Catalina knew better. It was one of his men.

"Alvarez wants to see you," he said.

"Right now?" Catalina asked.

"Yes now" the man said "its important. Pay for your tea and come to the warehouse, immediately". The man walked of, not looking back. Catalina felt her heart begin to pump, did she do something wrong?

She found her moms tea and paid the cashier in a hurry, not bothering with change and began to make her way to the warehouse. She feared something bad was going to happen but better she obey Alvarez's order or something far worse will happen.

Santiago Alvarez was the main drug lord in Buenos Aires. He was the man who handled all of the drugs and arranged for which girls to smuggle them in. he was a large man with a baldhead and a gray mustache and stone colored eyes that seemed to bore right through you. He was the scariest man Catalina had ever met in her life.

She soon arrived at the warehouse, an abandoned building in the downtown part of Buenos Aires. She headed for the side door and knocked on it twice. A small section of the door opened to reveal beady eyes.

"What's your business?" he hissed.

"I am hear to see Alvarez," she said.

"Name?" the man asked.

"Catalina Portillo" she replied.

"Ah yes, he's excepting you" he slide the compartment closed and opened the door "he's waiting upstairs". She nodded and made her way up the steps. Even after three years, stepping into the abandoned building gave her the creeps.

She walked down the hall, passing rooms where people were packing the drugs and testing them for potency, to the familiar door and knocked twice.

"Come in" came a gruff voice.

She opened the door to see Alvarez at his desk, hands folded, with a few others commencing with business.

"Ah, Catalina. Please sit". She walked over to the open chair and took her seat. Alvarez stared at her for a moment before speaking again.

"Okay Catalina" he began "we need you to take a shipment into Miami, tonight".

She looked at him in shock "b-but sir, I just got back from a previous assignment".

"I am aware of that" he said coldly "but all my other girls are off doing other runs for me and you are the only one in at the moment. I know its short noticed but the man who is in need of this shipment is a very important client indeed, you understand right?"

"Yes sir" she said "but-"

"No buts Catalina" he said, raising a hand "don't forget, you are still in contract with me for another year and as long as I own you, you will do as I ask".

She kept silent, knowing if she tried to argue with him, she may very well be shot on the spot.

"All right" he said, "I trust you haven't eaten anything yet?" she shook her head.

"Good" he said "now go get ready, second room down" she got up and began to head for the door.

"Wait" he said, "Drop the bags". Doing as he told, she put down the bags containing the food she bought. Two men came over and picked them up.

"Do not worry" Alvarez said "I will be sure your groceries will make it home safely and to inform your mother of your absence. Now go". She walked down the hall and into the room Alvarez mentioned.

By now, she had gotten used to swallowing the pills, and easily downed all sixty-eight pellets in under an hour. She drank the liquid that stalled her from using the bathroom and got her plane ticket and passport. As she passed one room, she caught a glimpse of a girl sitting on a slab, while people began to cut her open. She felt her stomach turn and she began to run.

She quickly got out the building and began to hurry up the street. She was in such a rush to get away from the building; she didn't bother to look across the street. If she had, she would have seen the huge semi truck racing across the street.

She heard the sound of the horn and looked to see the truck careening towards her. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable to come.

All of a sudden, a opaque bubble appeared around Catalina and when the truck came barreling into her, it was like hitting a brick wall.

The truck began to tear apart, flames spewing and sparks flying, the force causing the truck to splay sideways and skid across the street. When the pain didn't come, Catalina opened her eyes and saw she was still alive and the truck was now a wreck across the street.

Without thinking what just happened, she began to run across the street, confused and scared.

* * *

**Authors note: keep reviewing people!**


	8. Our New Generation

All over the globe, ordinary people begin to discover extraordinary abilities. The teenager, who can start fires with his mind. The stockbroker, who can see into the future. The hockey player, who can manipulate ice. The deaf Japanese girl, who can project herself into an astral form. The college professor, who can bring inanimate objects to life. The surfer, who carries a dark secret within him. And the drug mule, who can project force fields around her. These people and many more are learning of their abilities and the possibilities they bring.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Commerce Township, USA _

For the next two days, Clark spent most of his time trying to perfect his newfound ability. At first, he started small like wads of paper and notepads. But soon, he began to work his way up to logs of wood, old chairs, and other sorts of materials.

He was now in control of his power. He no longer needed to get angry to unleash it, all he had to do now was concentrate hard and the ability came to him.

It was called pyrokinesis, the ability to start fires with your mind. He had looked it up on the Internet and found a website about it. Looking at the site, it had web postings of other documented cases of pyrokinetics, some dating back as far as the 1800's. It also told a lot about Clark's ability; like it is first discovered in an intense state of emotion and that the person is immune to the fires they create, stuff like that. Clark couldn't believe that there had been others like him, especially as far back as 1876.

This power also meant payback for Andy. Every chance he got; he would mess with Andy's head. Starting his homework on fire, making smoke rise from his hat, and even setting his lunch on fire once. However, when Wednesday came around, Clark had to put a halt to his fun. The school was already issuing warnings about someone setting fires in the school and for Clark, he would much rather keep his new discovery a secret. Besides, he was already a big enough freak as it is.

As he ate his lunch, he couldn't help but look over at Andy's table. Just do it he thought just set his tray on fire, no one will notice. It was so tempting but Clark decided to go against it. He can have his fun later, as soon as the heat dies down. He chuckled a bit, heat dies down.

well, he thought it was funny anyway.

Before he knew it, the next two classes were done with and the final bell of the day had rung. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and began to walk for the door when the teacher called him over.

"Yeah Mr. Kritzmen?" Clark asked.

"Clark" said his teacher "I just wanted to let you know that I got your test score back…and well, it wasn't exactly your best".

Clark knew that was going to come back and bite him in the ass. He was so busy experimenting with his ability he hardly did any of his schoolwork, let alone study.

"What did I get?" he asked. Mr. Kritzmen handed him his test and scrawled at the top was a big fat E.

"I just want to let you know that there will be a retest available on Friday" he said "you are gonna take it right?"

"Uh, yeah sure" Clark said "I think that would be for the best".

"Okay, no you better go before you miss the bus" he said. Clark nodded and headed out the classroom. Stupid test he thought stupid teacher, stupid school. Looking around, he saw everyone had already gone.

He held up his test paper "here's what I think would be for the best" he said. His eyes turned that fiery red color and the paper instantly caught on fire. Clark smiled, pleased at how far he had come. But just a few seconds after this, he instantly felt like something was wrong.

Turning around, he saw why. Standing just a few feet away from him was Vince, his eyes wide in shock and mouth hanging open slightly.

"W-w-what the-?" he tried to say, Clark felt his heart suddenly drop. Oh shit he thought.

"Wait, Vince," he said, "this isn't what it looks like". But before he could explain himself, Vince already began to take off.

"Wait!" Clark said, chasing after him "Vince wait! Let me explain!" great, so much for being the outcast. Now he was going to be the freak of the school.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo Japan_

The event never happened again. Every time Rika went to sleep, she would always think she'd end up like…well like a ghost again. But every time, she'd wake up in her bed, still in her body and not a ghost.

She eventually dismissed as just a bad dream, thinking crazy of her to actually believe that the event happened. And right now, she needed to concentrate tonight. It was their track meet tonight and Rika was focused on doing her best, not letting some dream distract her.

Looking up into the stands, she saw her dad still was not here. Come on she thought where are you dad? He had promised her that he'd be here but of course; he must have gotten tied up at work.

A hand waved in front of her. Looking up, she saw it was Mr. Oguchi.

_Come on Rika_ he said _team huddle_

Nodding, she got up and followed the other girls who began to gather around Mr. Oguchi.

_Okay girls_ he began _this is what we've been training for. If we get a good enough score, we can qualify into the regional division, the first time in this schools history. Now are we going to do it?_

_Yes!_ The girls all signed.

_Okay, put them in_. they all put in there hands, counted to three, and did the team salute.

_All right_ the coach said _Kazumi, Hitomi, Yoko, you three are up first. Rika and Miyuki, you two will be next._ The girls nodded and headed of to the track field while Rika took a seat on the bunch. She then saw her phone was flashing, her dad's number on the front.

Opening the screen, she sees the image of her father on the screen.

_Hey sweetie_ he signed on the phone.

_Where are you?_ She asked _I'm up in a few minutes!_

_I'm sorry Rika_ he signed _things at work just went over schedule, I'm coming over right now._

_Are you going to make it?_ She asked.

_I'll try_ he said _okay, I got to go. I will see you there. Bye._ Then the screen went black. Closing her phone, she looked up to see the first run was beginning to end with Kazumi near the front. She finished the end of her run in an excellent time. Rika got up and did the wave to congratulate her.

Kazumi came running up to her, red faced and sweaty.

_You were excellent!_ She exclaimed.

_Thanks!_ Kazumi signed _I don't know what it was but I did it! Best time I ever got!_

_Congratulations! _Rika signed, a smile on her face.

_Your dad here yet? _When Kazumi asked that, Rika's enthusiasm went down.

_No_ she signed _he's running late from work and he's still not here yet!_

She felt a pat on her shoulder and saw Mr. Oguchi over her. _Rika, your up_ he signed.

Rika nodded _well, wish me luck._

_Good luck_ Kazumi said. Rika smiled and headed out to the field. She took her position with the other girls and began to stretch. Looking in the stands, she couldn't see her dad anywhere. It looks like he was going to miss her meet after all.

But after another quick scan, she spotted him climb up onto the bleachers, giving her a wave. She waved back, a smile on her face. He made it! She thought.

Filled with this new sense of joy, she felt ready for anything. And when the light went of to start, she tore of down the track, running as fast as she could.

* * *

_Dalton Abbot- London, England_

For the next two days, the visions kept coming back to Dalton. Just like before, he would be hit with a sense of nausea and his vision would blur to white and then he'd have them. And they always appeared at the most random of times, whether he was eating lunch at the buildings cafeteria or watching TV at home, or walking down the steps to the Underground, he even had a vision while he was using the toilet.

Sometimes, the visions were small ones, like what drink Chris was going to order or who will be the first to score at football. And sometimes, the visions were a lot bigger, like seeing another big stock surge or someone in the office getting engaged. However, he hadn't had a vision like his first one where he saw that woman getting run over by the bus.

And just once, Dalton wished he could actually keep these visions under control, heck he wished that he could find out WHY he was getting these visions. It had never happened before in his life, so why now? What is so special about now?

"Hey buddy" Chris said, snapping Dalton out of his daze. The two of them were at their favorite pub, watching the football game on the telly, their team losing.

"W-what?" he asked.

"Are you all right?" Chris said, "You ain't having another of those moments right?"

"No Chris" Dalton said "I was just thinking".

"I swear mate" he continued, "I think you need to see a doctor or something cause you have been acting really off these past few days".

"I don't need a doctor Chris" he said "I feel just fine".

"Whatever" he said, "just trying to help a friend out". Dalton nodded and took a swig of his beer and watched as the opposing team scored.

"Oh come on!" Chris exclaimed, "That was bullshit! Where was that guy when you needed him? Lousy wanker".

"I swear Chris sometimes you take these games to seriously," Dalton said, taking another sip.

"What? I just like football" Chris said, "Is that so much a problem? Besides, by the sounds of it, half the guys here like football almost as much as me".

Dalton just sighed, "Okay, maybe I'm just weird then".

"Hey now" Chris said "don't be like that, this is a night for celebration man! Its not every day that my best friend gets a special job assignment".

Thanks to his visions, Dalton had now become the profit maker at his building. So much so, that Fred gave him his first overseas assignment. Apparently, Dalton was now to head over to Mumbai India and visit the local stock exchange there. It was here that he would have to handle a very important stock from one of Fred's biggest clients. It was something that could really get someone far in the stock market, far enough even to Wall Street.

"Ah, its nothing really" Dalton said "any chum can get an overseas assignment, even you Chris".

"Hey now!" Chris exclaimed, "Is that anyway to treat a friend? Oh come on! Block it you dunce! Block!" now Chris was on his feet as the opposing team headed in for another goal.

It happened again. Dalton felt the nausea come and then the blurriness and then all white. He was lying in bed, fast asleep, while a mysterious figure began to head toward his bed. Dalton was awake and spotted the figure almost instantly. He made a cry of alarm just as the figure rushed him, a brief struggle ensuing. But the figure overpowered him and threw him to the ground and Dalton felt an icy cold wind hit him and everything went black.

Dalton found himself back in the pup, Chris now sitting down.

"Thank god for that" Chris said, "at least the bum is doing some work". Dalton didn't respond; the vision still clear in his mind.

"Dalton?" he asked.

"Oh ya, right" Dalton said.

Chris looked at him funny "are you all right?"

"Ya I'm fine" he said, taking a large chug of his beer until it was all gone. "just fine".

* * *

_Commerce Township _

"Vince wait up!" Clark yelled. He saw Vince head down the steps and out the door. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he flew down the steps and threw the side door. Only to have himself grabbed by Vince and flung against the wall, arm across Clark's throat.

"What the hell was that?" Vince said, "What the hell are you?"

Clark gasped for breath "all right, I'll tell! Just let me down will yeah?". Vince let go of him, Clark rubbing his throat a bit.

"Look, I know what you saw back there was…" Clark thought of the right word to say, "shocking".

"No shit" Vince said.

Clark took a breath "I-it's called pyrokinesis".

"Huh?" Vince said.

"What I did back there, its pyrokinesis" Clark said "the ability to start fires with your mind".

Vince looked at him "your joking right?"

"And what, that was an illusion back there?" Clark said, "Look, I'll show ya" he looked down at one of the plants the school had planted. Concentrating, his eyes lit up, and the shrub went up in flames. Vince's eyes went wide again and Clark made the fire go out.

"Was that an illusion?" Clark said. Vince didn't answer for a minute, then a thought cross his mind.

"Wait, you're the person who's been starting all those fires" he said, looking at him "haven't you?"

Clark nodded "pretty much".

Vince kicked at the ground a bit "so…how long have you been able to…do that?"

"Since Monday" Clark said, "Andy was…well, being Andy. And then, something inside be just snap and before I knew it, I could make fires appear with my mind".

Vince shook his head "this can't be real. Stuff like this only happens in the movies".

"Yeah well" Clark said "I guess it can happen in real life too". Both didn't say anything for a minute.

"Look Vince" Clark said, taking a step forward "you have to promise me, you won't tell anyone about this. And I mean anyone, not your friends, your parents, anyone. Can you do that?"

He looked at Clark for a moment, his face like stone. He then nodded "yeah all right" he said "I think I can do that".

"Thanks" Clark said. The silence came back, both teens not knowing what to say next.

"Aw shit," Clark exclaimed, "I missed the bus because of all this".

Vince shrugged "if ya want, my dad can give ya a ride home".

Clark looked at him "don't ya think he'll mind?"

"No he won't" Vince replied, "he always picks me up after school and its not unusual for me to bring others along".

Clark shrugged "all right, thanks…again". Vince nodded and began to walk, Clark following him. They made their way to the student drop off area and headed over to a black BMW. Clark got a look at the driver, a kind looking man with thick glasses and graying brown hair.

As Clark got into the back he heard the man say "hey Vince" this must have been his dad.

"Hey dad" Vince said "this is my friend Clark, he needs a ride to his house".

"Hey Clark" the man said, turning to him. Clark smiled back, taking the right seat. Mr. Ballin started the car and pulled out of the drop off area and out of the school grounds. Clark gave Mr. Ballin the directions to his house and after a few minutes, pulled up into his neighborhood and soon at his house.

"Thanks for the ride" Clark said, hopping out of the car.

"See ya" Mr. Ballin said. Clark looked over at Vince and gave a small shrug, kinda like a way of saying thanks. Vince shrugged back as well and they pulled out of the driveway and off down the street.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India_

On Tuesday morning, Asheera was awoken by an odd noise. It might have sounded strange but she was sure she had just heard a horse whinnied. But that can't be right, there aren't any horses in Mumbai.

she looked over at her nightstand and saw that her horse statue was moving. Her initial reaction was of course fear and shock. She practically fell out of her bed trying to escape, not knowing what was going on.

She looked over at the statue again to see if she wasn't hallucinating. And when she saw the statue nicker and trot, she realized that this wasn't no hallucination, this was really happening.

But how? She thought how could this have happened? Thinking back to last night, she remembered patting at the statue…no, that can't be it she thought I couldn't have done that.

A realization crossed her mind. Or maybe I did she thought. Quickly changing, she called the university to tell that she was sick and needed someone to fill in for her. Right now there was something much more important to do.

This discovery has just proven her theory was right, that this new genetic coding does enhance the body. But never in her wildest dreams did she believe it could do something like this. This was probably the biggest discovery of the twentieth century, a new stage in human evolution never before seen.

But first, she had to make sure that is was her cause that made her statue come to life. She walked over to the nightstand, the horse still trotting around the nightstand. Raising a tentative hand, she lightly touched the statue.

The horse began to go rigid. Its movements became jerkier until its legs, head, mane, tail were all motionless. It was a statue once more. And as soon as it was, Asheera went right to work.

* * *

_Tokyo, Japan _

Rika finished changing and walked outside to where the other parents were waiting. After a brief scan, she saw her father in the back.

_Hey sweetie_ he signed, Rika giving him a huge. Pulling away, he continued _you were great out there._

_Thanks_ she said _my best time yet! And now we're going to regionals!_

_That's fantastic!_ He dad signed, a smile on his face. Kazumi appeared, congratulating her as well on her win.

_Hey Mr. Ichikawa _Kazumi signed _I see you made it._

_As a matter of fact, I did_ he replied, satisfaction on his face.

_Well, I got to go Rika, see you tomorrow all right? _Rika nodded and Kazumi headed of to her parents. She and her dad headed out to the car and pulled out of the field.

Rika felt her dad tap her on the shoulder _I am very proud of you Rika_ he signed _if your mom were here right now, I'm sure she would be too._

_Thanks dad_ Rika replied _do you mind if I sleep a bit? I'm kind of tired._ Her dad nodded all right and turned back to the road. She propped her head onto the window and closed her eyes.

she opened her eyes again…only to find herself in the back seat. Oh no she thought, don't tell me it's happening again!

And sure enough, she saw she was hovering a bit and inching forward she saw her sleeping body and her dad driving as if she wasn't there. Sticking her hand out to her dad, she saw it pass right through him.

Pulling back, she began to panic. So it wasn't a dream she thought this is real! It's all real! But…how? Why? This had never happened to her before and now after sixteen years she's suddenly turning all ghostly?

So many questions raced through her mind, not knowing which ones to answer first. She made them stopped and began to act more rationally. Okay she said no big deal, you can re-enter yourself again. She floated over to her body and dove into herself.

Sure enough, when she woke she was back inside her body, no longer ghostly.

She felt her dad tap her again _I thought you were going to sleep?_

_Not right now_ she said _I'll wait till we get home._

Okay she thought I have to figure out why this is happening to me and I have to figure how to control it. This was just like becoming deaf, all she had to do was adjust to it and not make it control her life.

Tomorrow she thought tomorrow I will figure this out. The sooner, the better.

* * *

**Authors note: review people!**


	9. Power and Responsibility

_Catalina Portillo- Buenos Aires, Argentina_

Catalina ran for who knows how long. Confused and afraid, it seemed like the only thing to do at this point. She finally stopped after what seemed like hours of running, leaning against a building, red faced and panting, her chest feeling like it was on fire.

I shouldn't be alive she thought that bus was coming right at me. I should be dead she thought but I'm not, I'm not dead…somehow.

When she closed her eyes, all she heard was the sound of the truck tearing apart and could see the flares of fire. Then when she opened her eyes she saw the truck in ruins and she was still alive.

Something must have happened she thought by some odd, divine miracle she was alive. But how? How was it she had survived a full frontal assault from a semi truck?

She felt her stomach gurgle, and realized she still had a job to do. Whether or not, she was still alive, and right now all she had to do was get these drugs into the US. Looking around, she saw a street clock hung up reading 6:51 and according to her ticket, her plane left at eight. She had only an hour to catch her flight!

Composing herself, she caught her breath and took a step to the street. Waving a hand, she soon got the attention of a taxi driver; opening the door she got in.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"The airport" she said "and step on it".

"Right away miss," he said, pulling off into the street. All the way to the airport, she couldn't stop thinking about the crash. How did she survive?

* * *

_Tyler Morgan-Sydney, Australia_

It had all started about a month ago. Tyler and his roommates were out for a night of partying and drinking at a local's house. It all seemed to be going well when someone at the party began to hassle Tyler. Now normally Tyler would have just walked away from the kid but when you have a party full of half drunken twenty year olds, things tend to get out of hand. Before he knew it, Tyler and the kid were rolling around on the ground fighting, taking nearly three people to pull him of the kid.

At that point, Tyler was steamed and he angrily stormed out of the house in a fit of rage and everything blacked out from there. When he came to again, Tyler found himself halfway across town, exhausted and naked.

At first, he thought he had drunken to much beer but how does that explain getting halfway across Sydney without a car? And waking up naked nonetheless, unless he really was that drunk. When his friends found him, it was already dawn and they said that they've been looking for him all night and of course they all looked at him as if he gone made, walking around in the nude.

That same morning, there was a special news bulletin on about reports of a series of crimes that had happened all across Sydney. At first, they were described as typical burglaries but after looking at the crime scenes, they saw doors that had been flung clean of their hinges, stores that seemed to have been hit by a cyclone, and even more shocking were huge gaping holes found going in almost a straight pattern all across town.

But what was even more baffling about the crimes was the perpetrator people described. They described that the perpetrator didn't look human at all, they said it was large in shape and seemed to be covered in dark brown hair streaked with shades of blonde, and though they didn't get a clear look of the face, they described it almost…animal like.

At first, Tyler didn't think this had anything to do with him. But then, just a few weeks ago, it happened again. Once more, they were out partying and stuff when the cops busted them. Being drunk and stupid, everyone decided to run.

Tyler tried to outrun them but the somehow managed to catch him and to make matters worse besides being drunk, he tried to fight them. Naturally, this led the cops to get rough with him and began to violently pull him before slamming him to the car. He felt something stir within him, a force that seemed to surge with rage and power. His vision wavered for a moment and his heart began to beat faster, feeling something was happening to him. Then he felt a violent surge rush through him, almost as if it would tear him apart, causing him to black out.

When he came to again, once again he found himself naked and halfway across town. Getting up, he walked all the way back to the house where his friends were already waiting, once again giving him confused looks as to why he was naked.

Anyway, they were all crowding around the TV, another special news bulletin. The news reporter described that the same mysterious perpetrator from a few weeks ago had stuck again. They said that at dawn this morning, they found a police car that had seemed to have been battered by a wrecking ball. The two policemen of the car were found near the wreckage, both looking to have been mauled by a wild animal. From there, the mysterious perpetrator began a similar path of destruction halfway across the town.

When they showed the images of the dead cops, Tyler almost gasped in horror. It was the two cops that had arrested him. Feeling sick, he quickly rushed to the bathroom, throwing up in the sink. Washing his face he began to breath deeply, trying to calm himself, saying that couldn't have been him, it couldn't, it couldn't.

After a moment of his head hung over in the sink, he looked into the mirror...and he saw something terrible staring out at him. It was the face of a horrible beast; covered in blond streaked brown hair, a powerful jaw with two huge fangs protruding from its face, almost monkey like in appearance. But it was the eyes, wild looking yellow eyes, that most jumped out at him the most.

He quickly jumped back in horror. He blinked for only a moment and the image was gone and he saw his own reflection again, staring back at him.

Every now and then when he looked at his reflection, Tyler would see the terrible face again, with its feral eyes, wild face, and terrible looking fangs. It was then Tyler knew that this mysterious animal that had been causing destruction all over Sydney…was him.

He couldn't believe it at first, that he could turn into something so horrible, but after seeing the face over and over again and how he was acting so strange, it all seemed to make sense. Even now, he could feel this thing stir inside him, like a caged animal ready to be released.

But there seemed to be a way to control it. It appeared the only time the beast ever came out and took him over was in a fit of rage. All Tyler had to do was keep his anger under control and try to keep the beast…from getting out again.

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- Moscow, Russia_

Once again, it was another tough day at practice. With only a few weeks until the start of the season, coach wanted all the players to be at top form by the time the first game came around.

He had broken them up into practice teams, first one to reach five goals win. And of course, both Yuri and Mikhail were on different teams and both were determine to take the other down.

Yuri was focused, going at his hardest, making sure to pass the puck when needed to, score as much times on the goalie, and most of all, try to knock Mikhail to the ground. The coach blew his whistle just as Yuri was about to make a shot.

"Pavlova!" he said.

Yuri looked at him "yeah coach?"

"Your off for the day" he said, "someone is here to see you". This was bit confusing, who could be here that was so important for him to miss practice? As he skated over he saw the triumph in Mikhail's eyes and it made his blood boil.

Getting to the box, he unlaced his shoes and went to change in the locker room. Coming out, he saw a man in a business suit waiting for him, a briefcase in hand.

"Pavlova, I presume?" he spoke with an English accent but surprisingly his Russian was very good.

"Yes" he said, "what's this all about?"

"Mr. Lancaster has an assignment for you" he said "and he needs you to leave at once".

Yuri looked at him "like, right now?"

"Yes now" the man said "you will be leaving for London at about six pm" six! He thought, that was only two hours away!

"W-wait!" he exclaimed "this is to sudden, can't he give me a flight for tomorrow instead?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Pavlova" the man said "but this is not a negotiable deal. Now I suggest you head back to your home and pack your things. Now" he popped open his suitcase and began to dig out a few papers.

"Here is your flight ticket and passport and a report on the person he has assigned to you. Now, do I make myself clear?"

Yuri nodded "yes, loud and clear" he knew it was not wise to go against Mr. Lancaster's orders.

"Good" the man said "well good day Mr. Pavlova" he shut his suitcase, snapped the two latches in place, and headed out for the door. Yuri put the things inside his coat pocket and made his way out the door and to his car.

He arrived at his apartment building and quickly made his way up to their room. Walking in, he saw Ana was already at work with dinner.

"Hey" she said "your home awfully early. Did practice get out already?"

"Uh no" Yuri said, putting down his things and heading for their room.

"Wait, Yuri," she said, walking over to the entrance to the bedroom where he was beginning to pack his suitcase "what's going on?"

"Mr. Lancaster has an assignment for me" Yuri said "an important one. He needs me to leave for London immediately".

"Right now?" she asked, "isn't that a bit short noticed?"

"Yeah" he replied, shutting his suitcase "but I have to honey, its work".

"You know, I still don't see why you have to work for him" she asked "its not like we need the money or anything".

"Well, I wanna be able to have a nice life for us" he said "maybe move out of this old apartment and get ourselves a real house". He walked over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"I'll be back soon" he said "I'll see ya okay?"

"All right" she said, "be careful". He nodded and headed out the door.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika decided to skip school the following morning. She called Kazumi and told her she was feeling a bit sick and won't be in school today. Instead, she decided to head over to the local library, it was time to find some answers.

Crossing a few of the streets, she soon came to the place. The first thing she did was look up books on body displacement and outer body experiences. After leafing through the pages, she couldn't find what she was looking for, so she decided to look it up on the Internet.

After typing in a few unsuccessful phrases, she soon stumbled upon an article that read about outer body experiences. At the bottom, it listed a few of the phenomena's and one of them happened to catch her eye. Clicking on it, she read the article that appeared and realized she had found it. She looked up the term in the books and found even more articles describing the experience in detail.

It was called astral projection, the sensation of a person's astral form leaving ones body. The experience most often happens when a person falls asleep, when they are at their most relaxed state, and soon finds him or herself in a ghostly form, with the ability to float off the ground and seemingly pass through solid objects.

This is it! Rika thought this is exactly what I've been going through. Reading on, she discovered that there has been people who have completely mastered the art of astral projection and can easily assume an astral form even when fully awake. She also discovered that in some cases, people in astral form can enter into the mind of another person, and can seemingly 'control' the individual's actions.

After a few hours, Rika decided to head home. Luckily, her dad was at work and she would have the whole apartment to herself. Taking a seat on the couch, she took a breath.

Okay she thought if I can just concentrate hard enough, I might be able to do this. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate. For a second, she thought she felt something. Opening her eyes, she saw it didn't work.

Okay, try again she thought, you can do this. Closing her eyes again, she tried to concentrate even harder, willing herself to leave her body. Opening again, it still hadn't worked.

Come on! She thought you can do this, just concentrate. Shutting her eyes, she tried with all her might to leave her body, face screwing up in concentration. She felt an odd sensation rush through her, as if a gust of wind had suddenly picked up.

This time when she opened her eyes, it had work. She was floating off the ground and turning around she saw herself lying on the couch, as if she was in a deep sleep.

It worked! She thought, pumping her arm in excitement. She floated over to the window, a thought crossing her mind. Taking a breath, she walked through the window and found herself floating almost eleven stories off the ground, like she was flying.

A smile crossing her face, she shot off into the air, a whole new world of possibilities now open to her.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India_

Asheera was now rushing down to the university. She made a quick pass through a red light, a few cars honking angrily at her.

After a few hours of researching, she had finally proven her theory had some truth. She had been researching her new found ability and found that every time her power activated, the genetic coding also reacted as well. This proved this coding really did give people unusual abilities.

It seemed that Asheera could bring inanimate objects to life, as proven by the horse statue. She also discovered that if she held on longer to the statue, it made it more life like, like actually growing real life fur and drawing actual blood when pricked by a needle. In the process, she had also managed to gain more control over her ability, enabling her to touch the statue without having it come to life unless she willed it to. This new found discover and with the aiding of her research, she can prove to the vice-chancellor that her theory wasn't a work of fantasy but actuality.

She pulled up the university, quickly parking her car, and making her way to Mr. Nazeer's office. She began to knock on his office door rapidly.

"Mr. Nazeer!" she said "Mr. Nazeer, open up!" the door then opened, Mr. Nazeer looking disgruntled.

"Ms. Kapadia" he said "I thought you were out sick for the day?"

"Yes well, this is important sir," she said, "if I just had five minutes of your time".

He rolled his eyes "all right, come in" she made her way past him into his office while he took a seat at his desk.

"So what is this all about?" he asked.

"Okay sir, this morning I discovered something amazing! Something that can prove my theory is in fact true!"

He rubbed his eyes, obviously getting tired of her already "and this discovery was so important that you had to call in sick?" he said in a hard voice.

"Yes sir" she said "and I'm very sorry but this is important" she dug into her purse and brought out her horse statue, setting it on the table.

Mr. Nazeer looked at her "a statue? This is your important discovery? Some hackneyed arts and crafts project?"

"No sir" she said, "remember when I proposed that this genetic coding could have a specific effect on people?"

"Ah yes" he said "the 'abilities' theory again".

"Yes" she said, "now the thing of it is, I just so happen to have this genetic coding and it wasn't until this morning that I found out…well, just look". She touched the statue, willing it to come to life. not even a second after she did this, the statue began to move, slowly beginning to sprout hair, shake its head and move its legs until it looked like an actual miniaturized horse.

Mr. Nazeer had this look of utter bewilderment on his face, as if not believing what had just happened.

"You see sir?" she said, "My theory isn't false! This could very well be the-"

"Get out" Mr. Nazeer hissed.

She looked at him, confused "uh, sir?"

"Get out!" he yelled "get out of my office this instant!" he was now livid, his face turning red and his eyes bulging out of his skull. Asheera was now terrified. She quickly grabbed the horse and stuffed in her pocket and made her way out of the office.

"And don't you ever come back to this university again!" he bellowed as she made her way down the hall, the sound of his office door slamming shut behind him.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Commerce Township, USA_

Vince had kept his promise. It was Friday morning and walking into school that day, Clark didn't receive any curious stares or whispering. His secret was still safe, for the while that is. It wasn't like he trusted Vince, its just you couldn't be to careful. Secrets tend to have a way of being discovered.

He and Vince hadn't spoken to each other since Wednesday. They would occasionally pass glances at one another in the hall or in history but other then that Vince seemed contempt with staying as far away from Clark as he could.

Clark turned down one of the halls and into his algebra class. The teacher had stepped out for a while, so most of the kids were socializing with one another. He made his way over to his seat, setting his books down.

"Hey fag" he heard Andy say, coming up behind him.

"Andy" Clark said evenly "I see your not on fire today". Ever since finding out about his ability, he had gotten a lot bolder when it came to Andy, now no longer afraid of fighting back, considering he could just set his pants on fire should the chance arise.

This little comment from Clark got his books shoved off his desk, sending his papers to the ground.

"You better watch your mouth fag boy," he hissed "you shouldn't talk to me like that".

"Why?" Clark said "ain't like you've done anything special, besides act like an ass". Andy shoved him hard, sending him sprawling over the desk, landing awkwardly on his shoulder.

"I said to watch your fucking mouth!" Andy said climbing over and stepping right onto Clark's hand, digging his heel into him.

One of Andy's crones came up from behind Clark and hauled him up. By now, people were beginning to form a circle around them, all watching like jackals as the fight (or beating, whatever you liked to call it) began. Andy gave him a sucker punch right to the stomach, Clark doubling over in pain. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him across the floor.

"You little fag lick," Andy hissed "you think you can say that shit to me?" he kicked Clark right across the face. He saw stars dance before his eyes and felt warm blood beginning to pour down his nose.

"I am gonna teach you a lesson about respecting your superiors" Andy continued. Clark didn't say anything, his blood smeared face darkened.

"What's the matter got nothing else to say?" Andy kicked him again across the face but Clark barely reacting to it.

"Come on faggot! Make a move!" that's when all hell broke loose. Something inside Clark just snapped and he felt this sudden tidal wave of force erupt inside him, a huge surge of fire that rocked through his entire body. Clark's head snapped toward Andy, his eyes were now livid, lit up like the roaring flames of an intense fire.

In that moment, Andy Tellermen erupted into flames.

He began to scream like a maniac as the intense pain washed over him, arms flailing as he tried to put out the flames that now engulfed him. People jumped back in shock and horror at the now flaming teenager. Andy began to run across the room in a panic, screaming his head of as the flames ate away at his flesh. It was like something out of a horror movie.

All the while, Clark's eyes like balls of fire, as they kept locked onto Andy. Then realization came over him when he realized what was happening. Quickly, he made the flames go out and Andy dropped to the floor in a blackened heap.

He laid there on the floor, making small gasping noise, his body a blacked husk of burnt flesh and seared clothes.

"Someone get help!" a student said.

"I will" Clark said, getting up and heading to the door, wanting to get out of the room as fast as possible.

"Someone help!" he yelled, "Someone is hurt! Call an ambulance now!"

* * *

_Sydney, Australia_

Tyler had to remain in the room for the next few days. He got would suffer from agonizing headaches and the bruise on his head felt raw and stung whenever he touched it. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night from turning over, the jolt of pain waking him up.

But by the time Thursday came around, he felt much better. The bruise having swollen down and no longer suffering from anymore headaches and it was a big relief to finally get out of the house and do some surfing.

"There he is!" Heath exclaimed as Tyler made his way down to the beach with Alex "the triumphant hero returns".

"Very funny man" he said.

"And look at that, it seems the ocean is welcoming you back as well" Lance said, pointing out to the huge waves beginning to swell.

"Well, we better not keep her waiting" Heath said "come on!" he, Lance, and Lana made their way down to the water.

"Your sure you ready to go out again?" Alex asked.

"I'll be fine" Tyler said, "really, I will. Besides, I could use the exercise".

"All right" she said, "if ya say so". They joined the others and began to paddle out into the water.

They spent the entire afternoon down by the beach and for Tyler; it was something he really needed. He was a bit shaky after three days of just lying around at home but he still able to put in a few good runs at the end. He figured by tomorrow, he'd have its groove back and be riding those waves like they were nothing.

When they finally decided to call it a day, the sun was already beginning to set, turning the waves a mix of orange and blue. The five surfers made their way back onto the beach and began walking back to the house.

"Well well" Heath said, "I see Tyler here didn't go for a repeat of Monday".

"Its not like you've ever done it" Tyler shot back.

"Funny Morgan, funny" Heath said.

"So, we doing anything else tonight?" asked Lance.

"Hell yeah" Heath said "there's this party going on down in Botany Bay, we hafta check it out".

"And what is so special about this party from the hundreds of others?" asked Lance.

"Nothing" Heath said "but we got nothing better to do right?"

He shrugged "I guess not".

"Then its settled then" Heath said as they entered the house. They all got changed into dry clothes and got into the single SUV that they all had to share (wasn't like they could afford one on their own). Making there way along the streets, they soon pulled into Botany Bay and up to the house where the party was taking place.

Like any other party, loud music, kegs of beer, a whole bunch of people, and some other illegal activity accompanied the place. They parked the car and headed into the house, which seemed packed to the gills with people, making it a bit difficult to get around without bumping into someone.

Soon Heath was coming back with cups of beer, handing one to Tyler. Knowing from previous experience, he shouldn't be drinking this unless he wanted the thing inside him to take over again. But Tyler figured that maybe one beer wouldn't hurt him.

However, that one beer then turned into another beer, and another beer, and another beer, until all plans for Tyler to take it easy was soon abandoned.

As the party kept on going and more and more people began to drink, you just knew something bad was going to happen.

And somewhere in between all this, someone slammed into Heath pretty violently.

"Watch where you're going shit head!" he said, pushing the person who came into him.

"Hey fuck you man!" the guy called back, shoving Heath as well. Then Heath threw a punch and soon a fight broke out not only with Heath and the guy but a whole bunch of other people. Tyler of course got into the action when some idiot slugged him clean across the face and Tyler soon fought back, joining the fray as well.

Just as he was really getting into it, Tyler felt Alex pulling him off the guy and still caught up in the moment, he angrily shoved Alex away and made his way out the back door.

Kicking the door open, he was now fuming. Fucking ass hole he thought who did he think he was? Just punching him across the face like that. I should have just…

Tyler felt a sharp pain in his head and his vision suddenly wavered. His heart began to pump faster and a surge of energy rushed through his body. threataning to tear him apart.

Oh no he thought it's happening again!


	10. The Beast Within

_Tyler Morgan- Sydney, Australia_

No, no! Tyler thought this can't be happening, not now. Tyler tried to calm himself down but it was already to late. He felt himself go weak and collapsed to the ground, taking in slow shallow breathes. Looking down, he saw in horror as long brown fur began to sprout along his arms. The transformation had begun.

He felt a searing pain lace through his body as his fingernails began to grow longer and sharper. His whole body began to convulse as his muscles began to bulge and swell.

"Tyler?" he heard someone say behind him. Looking over him, he saw it was Alex.

"Alex!" he said desperately "stay back!"

"What's wrong Ty?" she asked.

"Just stay back!" Tyler said "I can't control it!" he felt another sharp pain race down his body as his teeth began to grow into two large fangs.

"Control what?" Alex asked, taking a step forward "Tyler what's wrong?"

"Damn it Alex, run!" Tyler yelled in a final desperate plea that slowly turned into a howl. Everything began to go dark and the beast took over.

* * *

All across his body, the brown fur began to appear and his body began to swell to great size causing his pants and shirt to be shredded from the force. His face slowly became more monkey like and his eyes began to turn yellow. The creature gave one more howl as its transformation came to an end. 

Alex stood frozen in horror as to what Tyler had become, not daring to move, or risking having the skin ripped right off her.

The creature was the size of a car with powerful arms and legs covered in a thick brown fur. Razor sharp nails studded its hands and feet, all jet black in color while its face seemed to resemble a monkey with two large fangs and feral looking yellow eyes.

It stared at Alex, breathing heavily, as if deciding what to do next.

"T-Tyler?" asked Alex in a weak voice.

The thing gave a roar, exposing rows of deadly looking teeth. Instantly, Alex took off but the thing was faster. It took only a few bounds to cut her off from escape, its teeth bared.

Alex stood frozen in fear, not knowing what to do next. If she made one move, she was a goner but if she just stood there she might be a goner as well. Both lose-lose situations. Shit she thought

She heard the door behind her open and someone appeared at the entrance. He dropped his beer at the sight of the creature, mouth gaping open.

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed. The beast gave a roar at the person's intrusion and made a dash for house next to them, barreling through the wall as if it was made of cardboard, debri flying everywhere.

Alex watched as the thing that used to be Tyler disappear through its path of destruction.

"What the fuck was that?" the man said, running up to her "was that the thing that's been spotted the past month?"

Alex realized with sinking horror it was. At first, she didn't believe the report about the creature terrorizing Sydney but now, after what just happened …she believed all right.

* * *

_Dalton Abbot- London, England_

On Wednesday night, Dalton could not sleep. He just laid there in his bed, waiting for the mysterious figure to come, a knife hidden under his pillow. But the figure never came and when the first rays of sunlight began to shine into his room, he realized he had made a mistake.

This confused Dalton, usually whenever he had these visions, they would always come true. Why not this one? He though. Or maybe it hasn't happened yet. But does that mean he had to lay awake in bed for all hours waiting for this person to just come into his room and try to snatch him away? Or do god knows what to him?

That day, Dalton's eyes were bloodshot from being up all night and it took him all the strength he could to get through the day. When he first came into the office, Chris took one look at him and said.

"Holy shit man, what happened to you?"

"I didn't get any sleep," Dalton said wearily as he sat down at his desk.

"What happened?" he asked "its not like yeah not get a full night of sleep".

"I just couldn't fall asleep, that's all" replied Dalton, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"I swear man, we defiantly need to get you to the doctor" Chris said "first with the blanking out and now restless sleep?"

"I already told ya Chris" he replied "I am fine".

Chris shrugged "whatever man, have it your way" he picked up his ringing phone and began to work.

For the entire day, Dalton struggled to keep up with his work but the sleepless night took a lot out of him and his performance suffered as well.

"Abbot!" Fred barked after catching Dalton taking a nap "what is the meaning of this?"

"Sorry sir" Dalton said "just didn't get a good nights sleep, that's all".

"Well get an espresso or something" Fred said, "I can't have my employee sleeping on the job".

"Don't worry sir" Dalton said, "it won't happen again".

The one thing Dalton notice was for the entire day, he never got one vision. There came points when he believed they would come to him and yet nothing came. It was almost a welcome relief for him.

Dalton was just relieved when he got off work, just wanting to go home and get some sleep.

"Hey Dalton" Chris asked "ya coming to the bar with us?"

"No thanks Chris" he said "I think I'm just gonna head home and get some rest".

Chris shrugged "all right, have it your way mate. I'll see ya tomorrow then". Dalton waved him goodbye and began to walk back to his apartment. Taking the Underground, he arrived at his apartment building.

At first, he didn't go right to bed. He decided to make him a quick dinner and watched a bit of the football game before deciding to go to bed.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out. No bothering to stay up for the stranger to come, all he really wanted was to get some sleep.

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- London, England_

The person Yuri was supposed to bring was a guy called Dalton Abbot. A single thirty one year old, he had a position at the London stock exchange and according to the file he had the ability of precognition or the ability to see into the future.

Yuri wasn't sure how Mr. Lancaster found these people or knew of their abilities but he knew very well to not ask to many questions when it came to Mr. Lancaster's methods.

Yuri met Mr. Lancaster almost four months ago. Back then, he and Ana had been scraping by and were on the verge of losing their apartment. One day, from out of nowhere, Mr. Lancaster came knocking on his door.

He asked Yuri if he had the chance to have everything he wanted, would he take it? At first he thought that the man was joking but as he kept on talking, Yuri started more and more to believe him. If he were to be employed under Mr. Lancaster, he would be given everything he wanted. A spot on the national team, financial support, and most of all, to make a difference in the world.

At first, Yuri was hesitant to just signing his life away to this man who he just met but what he was offering was to tempting to just pass up. He needed it, Ana needed it, they needed it. So he agreed to work for Mr. Lancaster.

Once he signed the papers, Mr. Lancaster then took his hand and said, "You are doing a great thing. You can make a difference in the world" and then he left.

The following morning, Yuri discovered his ability. And no sooner after that discovery, he called.

Mr. Lancaster informed him that there were others like him all over the world; people with abilities much like his own. And it was up to them to tell people and to help them control their new powers. He said that a new order is coming, one that cannot be diverted, it will effect every human on the earth. And after the fallout, no one will ever be the same.

It didn't quite know what this meant but he kept his attention on Lancaster as he told him of his new job. to put it simply, it was Yuri's job to bring in these people to Mr. Lancaster so to help them control their abilities. One way or the other.

"Excuse me passengers, we are now arriving into the London city limits and ask you to fasten your seatbelts" the sound of the flight attendant woke Yuri from his sleep. Buckling his seatbelt, he looked out to see it was already dark, the land bathed in twinkling lights from the city.

He felt the familiar rush as the plane began to descend and felt the thump of their landing. Once off the plane, he got his luggage from the holding area and made his way out to the taxi pick up. Waving his hand for a moment, he got the attention of one and got into the back.

The driver asked something and Yuri's English not being the best, it sort of through him for a second. But he got the idea of what the man was saying. He held out the card with the address on it, the driver nodding and pulling out of the loading area.

It was another thirty-minute drive until they stopped at an apartment complex. Yuri paid the cab driver and got out of the car. Heading into the lobby and into the nearest elevator, he pressed the button where this Dalton guy lived.

The elevator pinged, signaling his stop. He walked a few more paces before coming to the man's apartment. He took out the key that was given to him by the man and unlocked the door, silently making his way in.

Looking around, the entire place was dark, which must have meant the man was asleep. Yuri shut the door behind and made his way to the bedroom.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Commerce Township, USA_

The ambulance arrived at the school and paramedics were rushed up to Clark's algebra class. At this point, all of the school was aware something was up and were heading out of the classrooms to see what the commotion was about, completing forgetting about any work they had to do.

Clark watched as they pulled Andy out of the class and down the hall, everyone looking in horror at what had happened.

When they pulled his body out of the school and rushed him into intensive care, teachers began to shepherd kids back into classes while all the kids from Clark's algebra class were taken into police custody for questioning. When it came to Clark's turn, the police began to hammer him with questions about the fight and Andy's history and all Clark could do was try to answer as truthfully as possible. But as for the whole it was him setting Andy on fire thing...he just tip-toed around that part of the story.

By the time they were through, no one could give a clear answer. The only thing they could all agree on was he was beating up on Clark when all of a sudden he just burst into flames. With no other evidence, the police dismissed the students to their classes.

Soon word began to spread about Clark and Andy's scuffle and by the time he was walking out the doors to the bus he was met with curious stares and whispers from the students.

As soon as he got home, he decided to go and see how Andy was doing. He was being held at the Huron Valley Hospital, which was only a ten-minute walk from where Clark lived. Walking through the main doors, he made his way down to the intensive care ward, knowing that was where they kept him.

He found his room and looked in from the glass window. Andy's body was all bandaged up from head to toe except for his eyes. An I.V drip was attached to his arm and a bunch of machines were monitoring his heart rate and pulse. He saw a doctor walk out of the room and head down to a pair of people who must have been Andy's parents.

Clark couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Well Mr. And Mrs. Tellermen" he said "we have been able to stabilize your sons heart rate and have already bandaged him up".

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mrs. Tellermen asked.

The doctor was silent for a moment "the most important thing right now is to wait. Once he's made it the first night, he should be fine. But I have to tell you Mrs. Tellermen, if your son does survive, he will be permanently scarred for the rest of his life. His burns will need to be taken care of all the time to prevent infection and he will most likely be bed-ridden from all of this".

When he said this, Mrs. Tellermen broke down into tears and fell into her husband's arms sobbing.

"How could this have happened?" he hissed angrily.

"We aren't sure yet" the doctor responded, "the police are still investigating as to what happened" Clark began to run out of the hospital, not wanting to hear the rest of it.

When he came home, he began to head up to his room when his mom called him.

"Clark!" she said "someone is here to see you, he's upstairs in your room" that's odd he thought no one ever comes and sees me. Walking into his room, he saw Vince sitting on his bed. Clark froze; not knowing what to do and taking a good guess where this was heading.

"Andy Tellermen catching on fire" he said solemnly "you wouldn't have had anything to do with that right?"

Clark's eyes darkened "and what if I did?" he asked. Vince then got up and walked over to him.

"Why did you do it?" he said, shoving Clark violently "you could have killed him!"

"You think I wanted that to happen?" Clark shot back "do you really think I wanted to cripple him his entire life?"

"Then why did you do it!" Vince said, eyes livid.

"I lost control all right!" Clark said, "he was being an ass, like he always was and…I don't know! Something inside me just…just…snapped!"

"I thought you said you could control this?" Vince asked.

"Well I was wrong all right?" Clark said, turning his back to him "I still don't know what these powers are capable of. But you have to believe me, I never wanted this to happen".

Vince then walked up to him "it already did" he said heading to the door "all I can say is you better start getting control of this ability…before it controls you". And he walked out of his room without a second glance.

* * *

_London, England_

Dalton heard the sound of his door open. He instantly shot up and listened, hearing the sound of his door closing. It was him! Dalton thought. Getting up, he grabbed his old baseball bat from his closet and hid behind the door, bat clutched in his hands.

From the small crack of the door hinge, he was able to see a shadow beginning to walk into his room. He could make out the figure just a few feet from him, heading over to his bed.

Dalton silently began to walk up behind the stranger, bat raised, ready to strike. Just a few more steps he thought. He put his foot down and it produced an audible squeak. Fuck.

Without waiting he swung the bat but the stranger was faster, grabbing the bat as it came down towards him. Soon the two men were wrestling over the bat. Though Dalton was taller then the stranger, he was incredibly strong and Dalton was losing grip of his only weapon.

Thinking fast, he quickly let one hand go of the bat and elbowed the stranger right in the face. He instantly let go, giving Dalton the advantage he needed. He swung that bat, hitting the man right in the side of the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

He quickly ran out of his room, grabbed his keys and briefcase, and headed right out the door.

* * *

_Sydney, Australia_

The police officer was busy doing his nightshift, sitting at his desk with coffee in hand, watching the monitors that surveillance the entire mall. He heard a loud crash outside and one of the monitors on the screen went fuzzy.

"What the hell?" he said, getting up. Opening the door, he walked down the department store his area was at and saw that a huge gap had been made in the wall. Clothes lay scattered all over the floor in a path of destruction. He then heard the sound of glass breaking.

Walking to the department stores exit, he saw that it was the alarm for the grocery store that went off, the glass doors having been shattered.

Taking out his gun, he began to cautiously make his way over. Looking inside, he saw food products lay scattered on the floor, making a slight crunching sound as he made his way through.

He heard a grunting sound coming from the meat section, almost like an animal feasting on its meal.

"Hello?" he called. There was no answer. He took out his talkie and radioed the other two guys who were at the opposite ends of the mall.

"I got a break in here at the grocery store, possibly an animal" an animal that could break through solid glass and cement? He doubted it but what else was he going to say? Carefully walking over, he saw the outline of something big, shoveling down on meat.

"Hello?" the police officer called again, stepping forward. The thing still kept its back to him, still devouring the meat.

Keeping his gun raised, he took out his flashlight and shined it on the creature. Just then, the thing stopped and raised its head. Gun ready, he put his finger on the trigger should the thing jump.

The thing slowly turned until the officer got a clear look at the monkey-like face. The thing let out a roar and the officer fired but it didn't waver. It brushed off the bullet like it was nothing, lips curling into a nasty snarl. It leaped at the officer with terrifying speed, killing him before he had a chance to scream.

* * *

"What is it Callaghan is bitching about?" asked one of the officers as they made their way to the grocery store. 

"Something bout an animal breaking in" the other replied.

"Why does he have to radio us?" the first officer asked "can't he take care of some mangy animal by himself?"

"Well that's Callaghan for ya" the other replied as they made their way into the store.

By the time the other two officers had arrived, they saw the beast now on top of their dead comrade.

"What the fuck is that!" the first officer exclaimed. The beast roared at the sound of their presence, exposing its bloodied fangs.

"Fire!" and the two began to pelt bullets at the thing but it seemed to shrug of the blows as mosquito bites and it came rushing right to them, barreling down the first officer and punching down the other before crashing over an aisle and heading right out the wall.

"Holy shit" said the other officer, shakily getting up, his side aching from the blow.

"What the hell kind of animal was that?" the first one asked.

"I don't know" the other said "we better radio this to the district cops, there is something ugly running around out there".

* * *

It kept on running to Fairfield before stopping on the spot, feeling a sudden stab of pain through its body. The beast gave a roar as the pain increased, its hair receding, nails shortening, body convulsing, slowly getting smaller. 

It convulsed violently as its body became more human and his face began to take shape. Finally, Tyler gave one final shake before the last of the mangy hair was gone.

He slowly cracked open and eye, feeling tired and worn out. Standing up, he was once again naked and in another part of town. That's when he remembered the changing.

He heard the sound of a chopper pass over him, a spotlight searching the buildings. What have I done now? He thought. Looking around, he saw a coat draped on the side of a dumpster.

Slipping it on, he took a few tentative steps outside the alley, just in time to see a squad of police cars rush by. It was clear that those cars were meant for him.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, he began to quickly head down the street, praying that he hadn't done anything too bad.

* * *

_Catalina Portillo- Miami, USA_

The plane from Buenos Aires to Miami Florida landed at about four o'clock in the morning. Catalina was awoken from her sleep when the flight attendant announced their arrival.

She got through customs without a problem and grabbed her bag from luggage claim, spotting a few more girls who she already could tell were mules from another drug lord.

She headed outside into the drop off area and soon spotted the guy with the red bandana on his arm.

She made her way over, the man spotting her as she came "name?" he asked when she came up to him.

"Catalina Portillo" she said.

"And your handler?"

"Alvarez" she replied. He nodding and waved her over to the truck, loading her in with five other girls. She took the last remaining seat and soon the truck pulled out and was driving down the Miami streets.

Looking around, Catalina could see that two of the girls look petrified. It must have been their first time, remembering how she felt as well. The two drivers paid no attention to the girls, both talking amongst themselves, as usual. To them, these girls were nothing more but travel bags carrying their luggage.

All of a sudden, a car slammed right into the truck, hurtling the passengers off the road. Catalina hit her head hard on the side of the truck as it flipped, screams filling the air from the other girls.

When the truck stopped rolling, she saw the truck door slide open and someone reaching in and grabbing her by the hair. Catalina screamed in pain as the man pulled violently for her to get out. She quickly scrambled out, the guy still holding her by the hair. Looking up, she saw it was a tall man with a mask hiding his face, a gun in his hand.

This must have been a rival gang she thought and she knew that whenever a rival gang caught you, they don't bother keeping you alive. They shoot you in the head and take out the drugs later, less of a hassel to deal with.

He flung her to the ground and cocked his gun. Catalina could only close her eyes, knowing now that her luck had finally run out at last.

Then the opaque bubble appeared around her just as the man opened fire, the bullets bouncing off the bubble as if they were paper balls hitting a wall.

"What the fuck?" he heard the man say as soon as the bubble appeared.

Catalina opened her eyes as she heard the gun go off but no pain coming, seeing the bubble around her. At first shocked, she soon gathered her wits to see this thing was protecting her from the bullets.

Quickly standing up, she used the bubble to her advantage and rammed into the man, sending him a good few feet in the air. Without waiting for the others, she began to run, hearing the man shout as she got away.

What is going on with me? She thought as she ran clear across the highway, cars getting smashed as they rammed right into the force field.


	11. Catalina, Full of Grace

_Dalton Abbot- London, England_

Dalton kept on running, never stopping for anything until he made it to Chris's apartment building. Punching in the floor level, he waited, as the elevator seemed to lurch up the building at an incredibly slow pace.

As soon as it opened, he ran down to Chris's door and banged on it furiously.

"Chris!" he yelled "open up! Its me, Dalton!"

A few moments later the door opened to reveal Chris in a white t-shirt and his boxer, rubbing the sleep from his eyes while his hair stuck up in odd ends.

"What is it Dalton?" he asked "its like two in the morning".

"I need to come in, now" Dalton said hurriedly, pushing past Chris without waiting for his answer.

"H-hey!" Chris exclaimed "rude much mate!" he closed the door as Dalton headed over to his table and took a seat.

"What happened man?" Chris asked.

"This…guy" Dalton said "he somehow broke into my apartment a few hours ago. I was able to fight him off and get out of there. I thought I should come here".

"Someone broke into your apartment?" he asked "why? What could you possibly have for a man to steal?"

Dalton shrugged "I'm not sure" he said "and I don't think he wanted to steal anything. I think he wanted me".

"You?" Chris asked, "Are you sure?"

"He headed directly for my room" Dalton said "and it seemed pretty clear that he wanted me for some reason".

"Weird much" Chris said, "Did you call the police yet?"

Dalton shook his head "okay, well I'm gonna go and get them" Chris said, walking to the phone.

As Chris talked to the police, Dalton couldn't help but wonder if the person really was after him. But why? He thought, what possible value could I be to him? Then the answer came to him. His visions.

No, that can't be Dalton thought how could he know about his ability? He had kept it hidden as best he could, so no one should have been able to find out. Right?

Or unless, there was something more going on that Dalton wasn't aware off.

* * *

_Catalina Portillo- Miami, Florida _

Catalina had been running for three days now. She had taken shelter inside a discarded box in one of Miami's many alleyways, the Friday sun beginning to rise above the skyline. Every time she had closed her eyes, she thought she would be captured by the men from a few nights ago or worse be killed in her sleep as they took the drugs out of her.

She was extremely worried about her family. If she could guess, Alvarez must have heard about the incident on the highway and Catalina couldn't be certain if he hadn't paid a visit to her family's home.

Worse, her mom and brothers must be so worried about her, thinking that her plane might have crashed or she had missed her flight or something worse. She just wished they were all right.

Catalina made sure to never stay in one place for too long, always moving around Miami to divert any pursuers. She hoped that they had given up on her but when it comes to nearly 70 heroin pellets, giving up might not seemed like an option.

Whenever she did rest, she would try to practice her newfound ability. At first, it was difficult trying to produce the force field, all attempts yielding to nothing but a lot of frustration. However, after much trial and error she finally got it.

Concentrating on the bubble, she raised her arms and opened the palms of her hands and almost immediately the opaque bubble appeared. Closing her hands, she made it disappear and opening them again it reappeared. By Thursday night, she had mastered conjuring up the force field and discovered a few other things as well.

If she pushed out with her arms, she could make the bubble turn into a wall and if she thrust her hands violently, she could use the wall almost like a projectile as it shot away from her and collided with a wall, causing a slight indention.

If she put her arms out at opposite ends, she could produce two separate walls an either side and thrusting out with her arm they can become projectile weapons as well.

Though Catalina was still scared of her new found power, she knew that this ability could really come in handy if she used it to her advantage. She kept thinking maybe these powers were a gift from God or something, to help her in her time of need when she truley needed it. Or at least, she hoped.

Standing up to ease her sore muscles, she blinked a few times for her eyes to adjust to the rising sun. Her clothes were stiff and her hair was all greasy and hung limply on her shoulders. She heard her stomach growl. It had been a few days since she had a decent meal, having to forage in trash bins for any edible food.

I have to wash up she thought, I absolutely reek and I have to get something to eat before I keel over. Looking into her wallet, she counted up the remaining dollars she had from her trip to the grocers. There was just enough to rent a motel room for a night, maybe then she could wash up and she might be able to purchase food depending on how much was left.

Heading out of the alley, she walked for a few minutes before stumbling upon a motel. She walked into the receptionist desk to see a middle aged white man sitting at his desk. Catalina was pretty good with her English, so she didn't need to worry about misinterpreting things.

"Excuse me?" she said "can I rent a room?"

"Ya, if there's any left" the man growled. Getting of his seat, he shuffled to the back and reappeared a few minutes later "I can give ya room seven, that's the only one that's open".

"Thanks" she said, paying the man her cash and taking the key from his hand. Walking down the motel's walkway, she came to the room, unlocking it with her key and stepping in.

The place was extremely shabby but Catalina wasn't complaining, least she had somewhere to stay. The first thing she did was wash herself, the hot water a relief on her skin. Then she washed her clothes once she was done, wrapping herself in a towel while her clothes dried outside on the patio fence.

She felt a sudden urge shoot through her mind. After four days, she hadn't bothered to go to the bathroom and right now it was itching to get out.

After taking care of business, she was about to flush the toilet when she spotted something white amongst the feces. It was a heroin pellet. Catalina realized she still had the pellets inside her.

Her first response was to reach in and grab the pellets, just like she would normally do during one of her runs. But this wasn't another run. After all that has happened, those pellets have caused her nothing but trouble for her, nearly getting her killed by those men, risking her life to get them across. No, as far as she was concerned, those pellets brought nothing but death.

Without hesitating, she pulled down the lever and let the pellets flush away.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika soared high above the Tokyo skyline, feeling as free as a bird. Sure she couldn't feel the rush of the wind on her face but it was the closest she would get to flying.

She dipped down and headed for the streets, flying above the heads of the unwary citizens. Afer a moment of low flying, she flew into a nearby office building and dropped in to listen on discussions. Well, not technically 'listen' but you get the picture.

Nothing interesting by the way their lips were moving, so she decided to see how things were going at her school. A few minutes later, she was at the school.

She headed into Kazumi's class and caught a glimpse of her and Toyama passing notes to one another and playing footsie under the desk. Chuckling a bit, she floated around the school for a bit before getting bored and deciding to take off.

Before she left, a thought crossed her mind. Floating into the class below, she spotted Hitomi a few desk back. Heading over to her, she debated about doing this.

The book said that sometimes a person in astral form could enter the mind of another person and seemingly control their actions. At first, Rika didn't believe it but there was no harm in trying.

Taking a breath, she stuck her head forward and passed into her.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself sitting at the desk and looking down, she was wearing her school uniform. Quickly, she rummaged through a purse at her feet and pulled out a compact mirror.

Holding it up, she saw Hitomi staring back at her.

Rika was in shock. it worked! It actually worked! She had actually entered another person's body and now…she was that person. It was so unbelievable, if she could do this to Hitomi, she could do it to other people. People that could hear.

Not containing her excitement, she gave a small squeal of enjoyment but kept it low enough for the teacher to not hear. She closed her eyes again, concentrated on leaving the body and soon felt the familiar rush as if wind was blowing up against her.

Opening, she was once again in ghostly form. Turning to Hitomi, she saw that she looked slightly dazed but other then that she seemed fine.

Rika headed out of the school and back into the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- London, England_

Yuri pulled himself of the ground, his head throbbing from the impact of the bat. He heard the front door shut, knowing that he had got away.

Shit he thought how am I gonna explain this to Lancaster?

Cupping his hand, he produced a large block of ice and put it to his head, wincing as the cold ice connected with the raw wound. Walking into the bathroom, he spotted the medicine cabinet, poking through he found the Excedrin bottle.

He gladly down three pills of them just as his cell vibrated at his hip. That must be Lancaster he thought phoning in to see if the mission was a success. Digging out his cell, he flipped it open and spoke.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Was it a success?" replied an unfamiliar voice.

"The subject got away," Yuri said.

"He what?" asked the voice, a bit of anger in his voice.

"I tried to capture him" Yuri said "but he somehow got the jump on me".

"Well, make sure you recapture him" the voice hissed "one way or the other. You know very well the consequences if you should come empty handed".

Yuri sighed "understood".

"Good, now get going" Yuri heard a click and the line went dead.

Okay he thought find the man, how do I do that? Getting out the file, he looked it over a bit before finding the information he needed. One section listed a few of Dalton's close associates, one of them happened to live in London not far from where he was. Chris Littleton was his name.

He would probably have gone over to his apartment Yuri thought, thinking it be the obvious choice for him if he was in this predicament.

Without another thought, he gathered his things and headed out of the apartment. Taking the elevator down to the lobby, he hailed for a taxi. Throwing his stuff in, he showed the driver the address of the man.

Nodding, the driver pulled out and began to drive.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India_

Ever since losing her job at the university, Asheera had a lot more time on her hand. When she wasn't looking for work at other universities, she was busy at her research, which would come up in varied results.

On one hand, she was learning more and more about the DNA sequence but on the other hand, it only led to frustration. Though as hard as she tried, she still could not pinpoint the exact cause of the DNA sequence. After going through all the possible subjects, she just couldn't seem to find a common link between any of them.

By the time Friday rolled around, she was still nowhere close to solving the codes pattern. She figured that maybe the sequence didn't have a pattern, that it was just a random mutation through people. But how then? The possibilities of one DNA code appearing in over a thousand people as a result of mutation? That was a very slim chance.

There were a number of other possibilities but until Asheera got more resources besides what she had in her apartment, she won't be getting anywhere, anytime soon.

A knock at the door broke her from her concentration. Putting down the file she had, she walked over to the door and unlatched the lock.

A man in a suit stood at her door, his jet-black hair was cut extremely short and he wore a pair of black sunglasses on his serious looking face.

"Asheera Kapadia?" the man asked.

"Yes" she said, "can I help you?"

"I am gonna need you to come with me" he replied.

"What for?" she asked, growing cautious.

"It's very important Ms. Kapadia," the man said "so I'd appreciate it if you would come with me".

"Forgive me sir," she said "but I am not going with you until I know what it is I've done".

"Please Ms. Kapadia" the man continued "let's not make this difficult".

"Well I'm sorry sir" she said, "If your not going to give me an answer, then I must say good day to you". She began to close the door before the man's hand grasped it and pushed it open, knocking her back.

"H-how dare you!" she said.

"Now Ms. Kapadia" the man said, grabbing her hand in a vice grip "I insist you come with me, now".

"Let go of me!" she said as the man began practically drag her out the room "get your hand of me now!" she yelled.

Grabbing her purse, she hit the man over the head with it. The attack was so sudden that he let go in shock, then as he turned around, Asheera grabbed her microscope from her table and whacked it right in the mans face. An audible crack could be heard from the impact and the man crumpled to the floor.

Panic began to rise in Asheera's throat as she realized what she had just done. Quickly, she gathered her research papers, stuffed them in her binder, grabbed her purse and keys, and quickly made her way out of the apartment.

* * *

_Miami, Florida _

Catalina just had to talk to her mom; she just had to find out if she was okay. Once her clothes had dried, she checked out of the motel and made her way down the street. She had to fine a phone that took long-distance calls. It sounded simple enough but unless she came up with some money, it would seem like she was gonna have to steal a phone or something if she wanted to get in contact with her mom.

After awhile walking down, she suddenly got an eerie feeling. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a black truck that was going very slowly not far away from her.

Maybe she was imagining things but she had a feeling that the truck was following her. Walking a bit faster, she looked over her shoulder and notices the car picked up a little speed.

Now she was really creeped out. Walking even faster, she heard the car pick up even more speed. She was now certain that this car was following her. Without waiting, she began to run and the car instantly tore of after her.

Skidding to a halt, she sprinted down a narrow alley to try and lose the truck but then her plan came to a screeching halt when a fence blocked her exit.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. She heard the sound of car doors opening and slamming shut. She was trapped and the only way out was for her to fight.

Turning around, she spotted five men walking towards her, guns in hands and an evil look in their eyes.

"Don't worry senorita," one of them hissed, cocking his gun "this won't hurt a bit". They raised their guns and opened fire.

Instantly, Catalina brought a force field up, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off it. The men looked in astonishment as their bullets did no effect. While they were distracted, she flung her arms out and sent the shield flying at them. The impact flung the men right off their feet. This gave Catalina her chance. Turning, she began to scale the fence as quickly as possible.

Once reaching the top she jumped down on the other size, landing a bit awkwardly causing a slight pain to rush up her leg. When she heard the men start to get up, she ignored the pain and tore off down the alley.

But once running out of the alley, she found she had landed herself in even bigger trouble. Another car came tearing from out of the intersection nearby. Catalina instantly began to run again, hearing the car as it screeched down the road towards her.

Turning around, she quickly produced another force field and flung it at the car. The field hit the car, the sound of crunching metal as it hit the vehicle, causing it to turn over and skid on the intersection.

Catalina kept on running, quickly dodging a few people as they came running over to see what had happened.

After a few minutes of frantic running, she stopped to catch her breath. Her chest was now hurting and her breathing were shallow. She now knew that those men were still hunting her and it was now obvious that they weren't going to stop until they had her, preferably dead.

The only way she might be safe is if she got out of Miami as quickly as possible. Maybe if she got far enough, they would give up on her. Only then can she figure out how to get back home.

She noticed that she had appeared outside a grocery store. Looking into her purse, she saw she had just enough to maybe buy a few bars of candy and a decent bottle of water.

Walking into the store, she grabbed a few candy bars and pulled out a small bottled water, making her way to the cashier. A man then appeared behind her, busy doing something on his blackberry. He was so busy in fact that he didn't notice it when Catalina slipped a hand near his pants and picked up his phone. She quickly hurried out of the store, flipping open the man's cell phone and dialing in her number.

* * *

_London, England _

After a few rounds of questions from the police, Dalton was just about ready to fall over. He had barley gotten any sleep in the past few hours and his eyes were dropping shut.

He felt Chris shake his shoulder, waking him up after he apparently fell asleep.

"Hey mate" Chris said "shouldn't you be going?"

"Going?" Dalton asked confusingly "going where?"

"Don't ya have that business trip today?" asked Chris "to Mumbai?"

In all the commotion, Dalton had completely forgot about the trip. Quickly looking at his watch, he saw he only had a few hours to catch his flight.

"Ah shit!" he exclaimed, suddenly wide awake now. He quickly gathered his things and searched that he had his plane ticket with him.

"Okay, I'm heading out" he said, "I'll see ya Monday Chris".

"Have fun now mate" Chris replied as Dalton quickly made his way out the door, into the elevator, and down into the lobby.

* * *

Yuri had his back propped against the wall when he saw Dalton come out of the apartment building, waving for a taxi. Eavesdropping, he crept forward just in time to hear the man say something that sounded just like airport. 

When he got into the car and headed off, Yuri hailed a taxi from himself and repeated airport to the driver.

Where the hell could this guy be going? He thought. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed in a number and waited until someone picked it up.

"What is it?" replied the same voice from a few hours ago.

"I need information" Yuri said, "the subject seems to be heading towards the airport, I need to have tickets for whatever flight he is getting on".

"Hang on" the voice said, putting Yuri on hold for a bit "it seems that Mr. Abbot is going on a business trip to Mumbai India. I have already arranged a seat for you on the plane. Just remember, be sure to secure him".

"Understood" Yuri said before hanging up.

* * *

_Miami, Florida_

Catalina waited nervously as the phone began to ring. Please pick up she thought please pick up, be all right. She heard the click of the phone and someone began to speak.

"Hello?" it was her mom. Catalina nearly broke out in tears, just so happy that her mom was alive and okay.

"Mom" she said in a shaky voice.

"Catalina!" her mom exclaimed, "Is that you? Where have you been!"

"Look, mom" she began "there's something I have to tell you, something important. The reason why I've been gone for so long is-"

"Honey" her mom said evenly "I know".

Catalina felt as if a stone had been hurled at her chest "y-you know?" she asked.

"Yes dear" her mom continued "from the beginning I knew. You didn't really think I would believe you got all that money from delivering errands?"

"But mom" she said, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was hoping you would tell me yourself" she said "there were times I was so worried that you wouldn't come home at all that I wouldn't sleep till I saw you with my own eyes".

"I'm sorry mom" she said, a tear falling down "are you and the boys all right?"

"yes, don't worry" her mom said "we are all right. How about you? Is everything okay?"

"don't worry mom" she said "I'm all right. When I get back, I promise I will change. I'm gonna go to collage, get myself a decent job, and I'll be able to support you, Marcos, and Javier".

"I believe you dear" her mom said, "you just come home safely okay? Don't worry about us. Just come home".

Catalina nodded her head "I will mom. I will".

"And promise me" her mom continued "when you get back, you will put an end to this, all right?"

She nodded "I promise".

There was a small pause "I love you Catalina" her mom said.

"I love you too mom" she replied, another tear falling down her cheek.

"I will see you soon" her mom said.

"Bye" Catalina said in a whisper. Then she heard the phone hang up and once again, Catalina was all alone.

* * *

Catalina had been walking for hours down the Miami streets, no clear destination in sight. As she rounded a corner, a white van appeared as well, slowing its speed down to her walk.

Oh no she thought, not them again. She readied herself, in case she had to run.

"Catalina!" the man in the passenger seat yelled.

She looked up at the man "Catalina?" he asked again. This may be a trap she thought.

She nodded "come on" the man said "We're with Alvarez! get in the car right now and we can get this over with!" Catalina felt a bit realived by this but then again, these men might not be here to help her exactly.

Walking over to the car, the sliding doors opened and a man helped her in.

"All right" the man from the passanger seat said "We're gonna take you to the motel and get this job over with. Fucking disaster, losing all our girls, thank God we found you alive". Catalina nodded, though not paying much attention to him.

As he kept going on, she kept her eyes diverted to the floor, remembering her recent conversation with her mom. Promise me you will put an end to this, all right? She looked over to the window, her reflection staring back at her. Your better then this she thought, your better then this.

"put an end to this" she whispered.

"What?" the man in the passanger seat said.

Catalina looked at him "I don't want to do this, not anymore".

"Bull shit" the man said "your gonna finish this and give us those pellets".

"I flushed some down the toilet" she replied.

"You did what?" the man growled, pulling out his gun.

"You heard me" she said "I flushed some down the toilet. And I am done with this". She grabbed the door and flung open the door, jumping out without hesitation. Before she hit the pavement, she formed a shield around her and bounced off the street like a giant bouncy ball.

She let the shield dissapear, landing a bit awkwardly on her feet.

As soon as she did this, the car came to a screeching halt and began to back up at high speed right at her.

"Your not getting rid of me that easily!" she yelled. A shield formed in front of her and the car slammed right into it with a ear splitting sound. Flames erupted from the mess, illuminating the entire street. When it was done, she dropped the shield, staring at the twisted mess of metal before her.

No one will know what happened here. All Alvarez will know is the car that was meant to bring Catalina back to the motel was beyond destroyed, leaving no survivors and no witnesses to what happened. For all he knew, she was dead, and his entire shipment now gone.

Turning around, she walked away from the mess, no longer afraid anymore. She had emerged with grace that will carry her forward to a new life...and her destiny.


	12. Wildfire

All over the globe ordinary people begin to discover extraordinary abilities. They have only begun to discover their powers and already their lives are beginning to intersect. It is only the beginning for our heroes. Some will rise, some will fall, and as they learn more of their destiny, they will discover that there are others who know their secret and one who will threaten them all.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- Sydney, Australia _

It was dawn by the time Tyler finally made it back to the house. Luckily, the car wasn't parked near the house, so the others must still be out looking for him. Heading into the house, he quickly slipped on some clothes and turned on the TV, where things only went from bad to worse.

As soon as he turned the TV on, there was another news bulletin. The segment told of another sighting of the mysterious creature that had been rampaging across Sydney, once again leaving a path of destruction halfway across the city. It also reported that an officer had been killed in the process, a local security cop who worked at the mall. Though the creature still hasn't been caught, police are now in high alert for the creature, should it strike again.

Tyler collapsed on the nearby bed. That's three people now that he has killed, three people, all because of this thing. This thing locked inside him, that tormented him whenever he looked in a mirror, that he could feel crawling inside him like a caged animal, that thing he just couldn't control.

Sitting up, he saw the thing in the window reflection, staring at him with those wild eyes and ape-like face. Tyler felt his blood boil at the sight of it. Grabbing a nearby lamp, he chucked it at the window, causing it to smash into a thousand shards.

Just then, Tyler felt his heart begin to pump. No he thought keep it together, don't lose control, don't lose control. He breathed deeply for a few minutes, letting his heart rate subside, letting himself calm down. Soon, he felt calm enough and slowly got up, just in time to hear the door open from behind him.

"There you are man!" exclaimed Lance, running up to him.

"Where were ya?" Heath asked "you just took of on us like that, we've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Ya, sorry bout that" Tyler said absently.

"Well, glad we found ya" Lance said "quick, get your board and lets go! There's going to be this huge swell down in Woollahra that we simply have to catch". He spotted Alex only a few feet from him and he remembered last night, how she saw him transform.

"Uh, just give me a minute guys," Tyler said, walking over to Alex "can we talk?"

She nodded and pointed for outside. He followed her out and closed the door behind him. Great he thought how am I gonna explain this to her.

Taking a breath, he began "uh, if I remember correctly, you saw…what happened last night?"

She nodded solemnly. So I wasn't hallucinating he thought grimly.

"I mean," she said, "what the hell happened to you? One minute you were Tyler and the next, you started to transform into this…horrible beast". He nodded.

"How did this happen?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Tyler exclaimed, "I have no idea what is happening to me!"

"Well" she said, rubbing her neck a bit "when did it first happen?"

"Bout a month ago" he said "and then you started hearing all these reports about this beast. At first, I didn't suspect it, but after the second time…I knew it was me".

"And last night" she said "that was your…?"

"Third time" Tyler said.

She nodded "and, when does it usually happen?"

"When I get really angry" he said, "I mean, you saw me and that guy going at it".

"Ya, kinda" she said.

They were silent for a moment "Alex" he said in a whisper "I can see it".

"Pardon?" she asked.

"I mean" he said "I can see it, with my reflection. Sometimes when I look at myself in the mirror, I don't see me! I see that thing staring back at me with those wild eyes. And even now, I can feel it crawling inside me-"

"Come on you two!" Heath exclaimed "we're gonna miss the swell with you two chatting all day!"

"Yeah, what's the deal?" Lance asked.

"We're coming you guys!" Alex shot back "just start up the car and we'll be there". When the others left them to head for the car, she turned back to Tyler.

"When we get to the beach, we'll discuss this more all right?" Tyler nodded. The two of them grabbed their boards from the house and made there way to the truck.

"Hey" Lana said, "Do you guys know what happened to the window?"

"No" Tyler said as the pulled out.

Tyler tried to act normal on the drive down but he just couldn't, the thought of last night still weighing heavily on his mind. Not to mention the fact then whenever he looked at the mirrors, he would see the thing staring back at him.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Commerce Township, USA _

Clark knew that come Monday morning, people would be talking. Not only about the event but also about him. He wanted to assume no one suspected he was the cause of it all but knowing high schoolers, they will point the finger at any one who would have a motif to do so.

He flipped through the channels of the TV, watching as programs clicked on by. He decided on watching some sort of sitcom but it was interrupted only a few minutes later by a breaking news bulletin.

"Good evening" said the news reporter "I'm Monica Gale with this breaking story. It appears that a gruesome murder was discovered in South Farmington only a few minutes ago. Sources say that it was a local neighbor who discovered the body after failing to return the neighbor's phone call. While details of the murder are being closed lip, the police have indeed confirmed that this is one of twelve other identical murders that have occurred in other parts of the world. It is linked to a similar murder in the nearby London area, five more in South America, and the other six occurring in parts around the US. It is still unclear if this is the true work of a serial kill-" Clark changed the channel, having enough already of dead bodies and news.

He continued flipping through the channels until finally giving up and turning off the TV. After a few minutes, he got up and headed downstairs where he discovered a note left by his parents saying they had gone out for a bit, leaving him a twenty to order pizza.

Not feeling in the mode to eat pizza, he grabbed his dad's car keys and made his way out into the garage and starting up the car. He decided to head up to a local nightclub up in Detroit where a favorite band of his was playing.

It took about an hour before he reached the city limits. As he drove through the town, he couldn't help but be amazed how much of a wreck this city was in. it would appear that the mayor really hasn't done anything to fix it up.

He parked the car in the lot and made his way into the nightclub where the band was already beginning to tune up. Since he was still to young to get a beer, he settled for a Dr. Pepper and an order of fries.

Soon, the band began to play and the nightclub began to pick up. Clark sat at his table, watching the band play, taking a few bites of fries and sipping his drink, trying his best to enjoy the show but he just couldn't, not when the thought of Monday morning still looming in his mind.

He took another sip of his drink and began to idly look around the room. He spotted someone sitting in the shadows near the back and suddenly a cold feeling crept into Clark's body. If he didn't know better, he could swear that the man was…staring at him.

Maybe he was imagining things, after all he couldn't see the guys face, but he could just feel the guys eyes on him. Shaking his head a little, he turned back to the stage, trying to shake the feeling off.

But Clark still couldn't shake that feeling of being watched. He glanced over again at the man, who was swirling a finger around the rim of his glass. Now Clark was definitely sure that he was watching him.

Sensing danger, Clark got up and left his money on the table before turning towards the door.

Meanwhile, the man who had been watching him slowly got up and in the shadows, his eyes began to glint maliciously. His prey was on the run, now it was time for the hunt.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika waited for the light to change before dashing across the street. She spotted Kazumi running up to her through the crowd.

_Hey _Kazumi signed when reaching her _you feeling better?_

_Ya, I'm fine now _Rika replied _I didn't miss anything yesterday?_

_Nope _she replied _just the same old, same old._

Soon the school came into view and as they climbed up the steps Kazumi tapped Rika on the shoulder.

_We're going out tonight _she signed.

_Doing what?_ Rika asked.

_Dunno, lots of things_ she signed _we were first planning to go up to The Dot and then maybe catch a movie with some people._

_Some people? _Rika asked.

_Ya, Hitomi's cousin is visiting along with some friends and we were going to meat up with them at The Dot._

_Okay, sounds like fun _Rika signed.

_Will your dad mind?_

_He's working late again, so I don't think he'll mind if I make it home before he does._

_Okay then _Kazumi signed _I'll come to your house at six._

_Okay then. _Rika waved bye and headed off to her locker.

During her first hour, the teacher was just beginning to wrap up on the WWII lecture. Seeing as Rika already knew most of the stuff, she decided to project herself and have a bit of fun.

She felt the familiar rush and opened her eyes to find herself in ghost form. She flew out of the classroom and into the Tokyo rush hour. Ever since yesterday, she had been itching to try and enter another person's body so she could just once experience what it would be like to actual hear something.

Heading inside a local building, she spotted a woman working in her cubicle. Rika figured she would be perfect.

Floating over, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and dove in.

Almost immediately, it assailed her. Everything came flying at her like a bullet gun, a cacophony of sound. She was so startled that she fell out of her chair, everything going off like bombs. Phones were ringing, people were talking, machines were running and beeping, it was all too much for her.

Quickly, she willed herself out. Almost immediately, everything went silent again and once more, the world was like a picture. All color, no sound.

It was obvious that Rika wasn't ready yet. But still, she couldn't believe for the first time in her life, she actually heard something. Sure it hadn't been the most enjoyable experiences but at least she actually had! She just had to take things a bit slower, that's all.

She quickly flew back to her class just as the bell began to flash. Gathering up her things, she made her way down to her locker and gathered her books for next period.

She didn't pay much attention in school that day, content mostly with turning ghostly and flying around the city. There were times when she was tempted once again to try and enter a person's body but the experience from this morning kept her from doing so. But that was okay; she would soon be able to. Somehow.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India _

Asheera frantically opened her car and put the keys into the ignition. Once it was started up, she quickly pulled out of the driveway and into the steady flow of traffic.

She felt her heart pumping a mile a minute and so many questions raced through her mind. Who was that man? She thought why was he trying to take her? As far as she remember she hadn't done anything wrong…unless.

The incident back at the university, with the vice chancellor, could he have done this? Could he have told someone about her ability? It seemed very likely but until she knew more, it was still only a theory.

But right now, she had to think about a place to stay. It was way to risky to go back to her old apartment building, both her parents had long since passed away, and she hadn't spoken to her sister or brothers in quite awhile.

Out of nowhere, a car suddenly slammed into her front bumper. She was rocked forward, hitting her head hard on the steering wheel, causing a gash to form on her forehead. She felt blood began to trickle down and she was very woozy.

Looking in her rear view window, she saw a suspicious looking black car was rapidly driving towards her.

Realizing the danger, she quickly unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. Getting out, she noticed something very odd. At first she thought it was from the head wound but after looking closer she realized that a part of the road had been covered in ice.

What the? She thought. It was way to warm for ice to accumulate, so what the hell was going on?

She saw the door of the other car open and saw a man get out "are you okay?" he asked. By the way he spoke he sounded British.

"Yes, I'm fine" she said.

"Stop right there!" she heard someone yell. Turning around she saw it was that man who tried to get her at the apartment along with two others running towards her.

"Friends of yours?" he asked.

"Not really" she said, turning around and beginning to run. She noticed that the man she had crashed into her was running with her.

"Well, I got friends following me as well" he said "might as well run together". At first, she wasn't quite sure what he meant but she realized that people must be chasing after him as well. And she could take a good guess as to why.

"Asheera" she said.

"Dalton" the man replied, "please to meet ya Asheera".

* * *

_Detroit, USA _

Clark quickly made his way out of the nightclub and headed for the car. Just as he reached the car, the locks suddenly activated, disappearing into the car. He tried to unlock it with the keys but it wouldn't work.

"What the fuck" Clark said, stubbornly trying again.

He turned around to see the club door open and the mysterious man came out. Still cloaked in shadows, he began to walk towards Clark. He suddenly got a bad feeling about this.

Abandoning the car, he quickly began to walk down to street looking for a pay phone. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted the mysterious man again and this time he was walking a lot faster.

Panicking, Clark began to run down the street, quickly ducking into an alleyway. Dashing down the alley, he made his way to a fence at the end of the alley where he spotted a nearby door. As he neared it, the door suddenly slammed shut. Running into the door, he tried to open it, the handle not budging.

Turning around, he spotted the man slowly walking down the alley towards him. Quickly looking around, he spotted a side door near one of the buildings. He ran over and to his relief found it was unlocked.

Throwing open the door, he made his way inside, slamming it shut behind him. In front of him was a set of stairs that led up into the building. He made huge leaps up the steps, desperately trying to get away from his stalker. Down below, he heard the door seemingly blow open as if by a tremendous force. Who the hell was this guy?

Reaching the top of the steps, he headed through another door into a large abandoned room. Dead end he thought.

Running to the windows he looked for a fire escape or another door but found nothing. He heard the door blast open and turning around, he spotted the man at the doorway, slowly approaching him.

Great he thought think fast, must get out. Looking out the window, he spotted a large pile of trash bags at the bottom of another alley. It was a desperate move but right now it was all he had to go on.

Backing up a bit, he took a breath, and ran for the window. The impact shattered the window into a thousand pieces and Clark was sent flying through the air, landing roughly in the trash pile.

Groaning slightly, he lifted himself out of the trash. He heard a loud thud from behind. Looking up, he saw the man had someone jumped out the window and was now standing no more then a few feet from Clark. How the hell did he do that? He thought.

Not waiting for an answer, he tore of down the alley, determine to get as far away from this freakishly impervious man. The alley soon ended at a small deserted square surrounded by other buildings.

At this point, the stranger had grown tired of his victim's futile chase. Lifting his index finger, a trash bin nearby lifted off the ground. He flung the object at the kid, hitting him squarely in the head.

Clark suddenly felt something hard hit his head, sending him to the ground. As he tried to raise himself up, he felt an invisible force grab him and flip him onto his back. He saw in horror as the man now stood over him, his face still cloaked in shadow.

He could hear the guy chuckle softly, a mysterious glint appearing from his eyes. He then raised his hand and pointed at Clark.

A searing pain suddenly shot through Clark. He screamed out in agony, clawing at his head, feeling like someone was driving spikes into his brain. It rocked through his body like a tidal wave, his arms beginning to flail and his legs beginning to spasm.

Blood began to trickle down from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, the pain seemingly increasing with growing ferocity. Clark shut his eyes, the pain becoming unbearable.

Clark then felt it. Something snap inside him and then another sensation rushed through his body. The pain subsided and a fiery rage suddenly went off inside him. His eyes snapped open, turning into raging balls of fire.

The stranger felt a sharp pain in his finger and he saw in horror as it began to burn. He screamed in pain and broke his hold on the kid, staggering back.

Clark slowly began to rise until he was on his feet. His hair and clothes began to ripple, as if he was swimming in water, and he slowly began to rise off the ground.

The air suddenly began to grow hot, the pavement began to steam and crack, objects began to catch on fire. It was as if a volcano was rising up from the earth.

Clark at this point was no longer in control. He was locked in a boiling rage, his power now completely controlling him. Clark opened his mouth and gave a loud, earth-shattering scream.

At that moment, it would have appeared as if a bomb had suddenly gone off in Detroit. A huge cloud of fire that seemingly erupted out of nowhere. The closest of the buildings were blasted away, while others were seared and shattered as the cloud extended farther. The smaller objects simply burst into flames, melting away from the sear heat of the explosion. Forty people were in the nearby vicinity of the area, all of them instantly dying from contact.

Clark then closed his eyes and fell to the ground.

* * *

_Tokyo, Japan_

Rika's phone began to flash when she stepped out of the bathroom. Picking it up, she saw Kazumi on the screen waving at her.

_I'm coming over_ she said.

_All right_ Rika signed _just come right up. Let me get changed first._

Flipping the cell phone off, she put on a miniskirt and a light pink top, toping it off with a long sleeved black shirt. She soon saw the light go off in her room, saying someone was at the door.

Opening it, she saw it was Kazumi.

_Hey!_ She exclaimed, both the girls high fiving.

_So we're going to the Dot first right? _Rika asked as they walked to the elevator.

_Ya _she signed _we're also going to meet up with Hitomi's cousin and his friends their._

_A he? _Rika asked.

_Ya_ she signed _what, not nervous are you?_

_Oh shut up! _Rika exclaimed, both girls laughing.

They crossed the street over to where the Dot was, making their way inside. Rika spotted the others at a nearby table, waving them over. Sitting down, she noticed immediately the three unfamiliar people sitting down. One of them happened to be pretty hot.

_Okay guys _Hitomi said _this is my cousin, Kenji. _She pointed to the one boy who Rika thought was hot. He was pretty tall and handsome, his black hair all spiked up, and his teeth an unnatural white.

_And these are his friends Ryuichi and Anko_ Hitomi continued pointing them out as she went along _and don't worry, they know sign language._

They all introduced themselves to each other and when Rika said hi to Kenji, she thought that he slightly winked at her. Smiling a little, she went back to talking with Kazumi and the others.

They spent an hour or so at the Dot before leaving and heading to the movies. As they got into their seat, Rika was able to get a spot next to Kenji. She felt her heart begin to pump a little as she sat down next to him. He smiled at her with his pearly white teeth, she smiling a little, feeling a bit intimidated.

Throughout the movie, she couldn't stop thinking about Kenji. She kept wondering if maybe she should try and talk to him or would that seem rude?

At one point in the movie, Rika decided to go for it. Slowly, she reached over and gently clasped his hand. Kenji looked at her and smiled, bringing her hand up and kissing it. She felt a sudden blossom of warmth inside her and for the rest of the movie; she was in what seemed like eternal bliss as he kept holding her hand.

At that point, the movie didn't matter to her. All she wanted right now was to try and preserve this image in her mind. If she could sum it all up, this was probably the best week of her life.

* * *

_Sydney, Australia_

After an entire day of surfing, the gang decided to drop by at another party Heath knew off. Tyler wasn't sure how he knew all the people or where these parties were but he wasn't complaining.

When the chance permitted it, he and Alex talked a bit more about what was happening to him. Even after a good talk, they still weren't sure how this was happening. As far as Tyler knew, he wasn't exposed to any radiation or his parents being mad scientist. Eventually, they decided that they weren't sure how this was happening.

She suggested maybe going to the doctor but Tyler wasn't having it. He didn't want to be deemed some sort of nutcase and he absolutely despised doctors. So until they could come up with any other plan, all Tyler had to do was keep his anger under control and prevent the beast from escaping.

Tyler wasn't really in a party mode, so all he did was hang out in the back, sipping idly on his cup of beer. He would spot the others once in awhile but he just was content to staying in the background.

He felt someone tap him on the back. Turning around, he saw two men in suits wearing Matrix style glasses. This struck Tyler as odd, thinking that they must be lost or something to be in a place like this.

"Tyler Morgan?" one asked.

"Yeah" he said, growing suspicious.

"Can ya come with us?" the other said.

"Why?"

"We would just like to have a little chat" the first one said. Tyler's first thought was these men knew something about him and his little…problem.

"Uh, can't this wait until later?" he said.

"I am sorry but that isn't possible" the other said; "now you are going to come quietly or we will resort to force".

"Ya right" Tyler said, turning around. Then he felt a vice grip hand on his shoulder and before he knew it was being hauled out of the party like a rag doll.

"What the fuck man!" he exclaimed as they made their way out the side door "let me go!" He felt a sharp pain to the side of his head, causing stars to appear. His heart beginning to pump and his vision wavering. It was happening again.

As they dragged him on, he slowly began to morph, soon thrashing wildly until the men were loosing control off him.

"We need back up now!" one of them said, "the subject is changing". Tyler's body began to grow and the fur began to appear, his face contorting and his nails growing longer until he had morphed into the beast.

Giving a roar, he through the two men off him and pounced on them, ready to tear their throats out. Spotlights suddenly went off and people began to open gunfire on him. Giving another roar of anger, he charged for the men, barreling them over and swiping them with his large arms.

"Enough!" he heard a loud voice bellow. Turning around, he saw a man step forward from the chaos. An imposing figure with long, sleek backed blond hair, sharp face, and piercing gray eyes.

Tyler gave a roar and began to charge at the man "stop" the man said in a commanding voice. As if by control, Tyler suddenly halted.

"Heel" the man continued. Tyler was aware of himself suddenly standing down like a trained dog.

"That's a good boy," the man continued. He gave a whistle and dozens of men appeared out of nowhere, each armed with TMP's and shotguns. Tyler gave a roar at them and began to raise his arms.

"Stand down" the man said and once again, Tyler found himself listening to the mans commands.

"Now Mr. Morgan" the man continued, "If you aren't going to come with us quietly, I am afraid I will have to resort to more drastic measures. So what will it be? The easy way? Or the hard way?" Tyler gave another ear splitting roar, his answer pretty obvious.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes "very well" he snapped his fingers and from out of the crowd appeared a large muscular man with a shaved head and mean looking face.

"Heavymetal" the man said, "would you be so kind?"

"Gladly sir" the man called Heavymetal replied. Tyler watched as one of the mans arms suddenly began to morph into a large sledgehammer like appendage. He walked over to Tyler and with one swing, collided with his head. Instantly, Tyler was knocked out and fell to the ground.

"Guards" the man said "please see too it our friend is well bounded. We can't have him misbehaving on the ride home now can we?"

The guards slowly moved in and began to tie up the fallen beast with heavy chains, binding his hands and feet. They hauled the beast into the back of a well armored truck, making sure to double check the locks and bind the doorway extra tight.

When everything was satisfactory, the man put a finger to his ear, activating an earpiece "all right Mirage, we have gotten the subject. You can undo your little trick".

"Right away boss" replied a man named Mirage. A small shimmer occurred in the air and soon the illusion was lifted. The man always made sure to bring Mirage with him, after all when apprehending these type of people, it was best to make sure the public didn't see what was going on.

"All right everyone" he continued "let's bring our little friend home".

* * *

_Detroit, USA_

When Clark opened his eyes, it was as if he had woken in a fallout center. All he could hear was the crackling sound of fire, the distant whirl of fire trucks and the orange glow of the flame. Hauling himself up, he saw in horror the fragmented shells of buildings spread out before him. Did I really do all of this? He thought.

Panicking, he turned around and began to run through the wasteland. I can't control it he thought I can't control it and this is what happened.

He kept on running until he finally made it out of the ravaged city area where people had already gathered to see the damage. Clark made his way through the throngs of people until he saw a pay phone up ahead. He quickly dropped some change and dialed a number, waiting anxiously for him to pick up.

"Hello?" said Vince.

"Vince" Clark said quietly.

"Clark is that you?" he said.

"Ya, its me" Clark said "look, I did something bad".

It dawned on Vince "no" he said "you didn't, don't tell me you're the one who…who…ravaged downtown Detroit?"

"Yes" Clark answered grimly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I just…lost it" Clark replied, not meaning to mention the man "look, I can't go back home, I just can't. Not after this".

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"I dunno" Clark replied "anywhere but here. I just can't come back, not after all of this".

Vince didn't speak for awhile "you gonna be all right?"

"Ya, I'm sure," Clark said.

"Well, I wish you luck" he said.

"Thanks Vince" Clark replied "bye".

"Bye" he heard the line go dead. Once that was done, Clark stepped out of the booth and began to run. He wasn't sure where he was going but all he knew was to get as far away from here as possible.

Meanwhile, back in the wreck, the stranger lifted himself out of the rubble. Such power he thought more then I ever imagined. I must have it! But not now, he is still to unpredictable. I think I'll just have to go and add some more to my collection.

* * *

**Authors note: review people! Much appreciated.**


	13. A Greater Purpose

_Dalton Abbot- Mumbai India_

Dalton and the woman named Asheera ran for the entire day, all the while the men close on their tails. Dalton still wasn't sure why these men were chasing after them, as far as he could tell they hadn't done anything wrong and it wasn't like they've ever met before.

Finally, after running for the entire day, they seemed to have lost them. For now that is. The two decided to rent a room at a local hotel so they can get some rest and try to figure out what was going on.

Dalton took a seat on one of the chairs while Asheera went on one of the beds. Even after a whole day of running, Dalton still knew very little about this woman. After all, when you are running for your life, it's kinda hard to throw in a decent conversation.

"So" Dalton asked "now that we have some time, mind telling me about you?"

She sighed "I am…I was a professor at the university, until I got fired a few days ago. What about you? What is it you do for a living?"

"I'm a stock broker," Dalton said "for the London exchange".

"What are you doing in Mumbai?" she asked.

"I was here for a business trip" he said "until…all that happened".

She nodded "so these people…you think that its coincidence? Or are they working for the same person and are trying to get us?"

Dalton shrugged "I can't be sure".

"Back at the street" she said "you said it first that people might be chasing after me, why would you imply that?"

"Well to be honest," Dalton said "the guy who jumped me back at the street, tried to get me before back in London. I was able to escape him but somehow he tracked me down".

Asheera nodded "so, do you have any ideas as to why these people are trying to catch us?"

Dalton shook his head "honestly, I have no idea. Up until this week, my life had been as normal as to be excepted…but then all this happened".

The two didn't speak for a while, both content with the stony silence that entered the room before Asheera spoke again.

"Wait" she said.

Dalton looked up "what is it?"

"What is your last name?" she asked.

"Pardon?" he said. He knew exactly what it was she asked but the question seemed so off topic it took him by surprise.

"Your last name?" she said getting up "what is it?"

"Um Abbot" he said, watching as she quickly made her way to her purse and portfolio "what are you doing?"

"I think I have an idea," she said, shuffling through papers in her binder while Dalton looked on in confusion. What was she doing? He thought.

Asheera took out a few papers clipped together and began to quickly scan through them with her brown eyes, flipping through the pages until finally a smile crossed her face.

"See, I knew that name sounded familiar" she said "at first, I didn't think of it before but after repeating your name again, I just got this sense that I heard it before".

"Before?" he asked, "what exactly is going on?"

She handed him the papers "take a look at this".

Dalton took them uncertainty. Looking at them, it seemed like a list of names, locations, and birth dates. Now Dalton was curious as to why this woman was carrying around a list of all these people's names. In fact, looking at these names there seemed a whole variety of them. He found people from the US, Africa, Russia, South America, practically in almost every continent.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Before I answer that," she said, "take a look at the second page, the bottom most names". Still unsure what this was about, he flipped the page over and looked down at the bottom.

At first, he found nothing. Just a bunch of names, of people he had never heard of or even met. Then he saw it, the fifth to last name at the bottom. There in bold letters was his name. Now Dalton was very curious.

"What exactly is this?" he asked.

"That" she said "that is probably the reason why those men are chasing after us. Cause I to am on that list".

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- Mumbai, India_

Once again, he managed to get away. Yuri thought he had him when he crashed the car but once again, he managed to slip away. Now what? He thought.

Looking over, he spotted the others coming and immediately recognized them as one of Lancaster's men. What are they doing here? He thought. Either they were both tracking the same guy or they were after someone else.

He felt his side pocket vibrate. Digging out his phone he flipped it open and said "yes?"

"Did you apprehend the subject?" the familiar voice said.

"No" Yuri replied, "He managed to get away again".

"Very well" the voice said, though Yuri could detect s slight tone of dissatisfaction "anyway, I am calling to tell you to report back to Moscow immediately".

"Why?" he asked.

"It is very important" the voice replied "from Mr. Lancaster himself. I have already booked your flight, it leaves in an hour. Make sure you are on it. I will contact you once you land for further instructions".

"Understood" Yuri said. He heard the line go dead and he closed his cell phone.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- 100 miles off Borneo _

When Tyler woke, his head was throbbing and he felt like he was going to throw up. Hauling himself up, he tried to remember what happened last night. He knew he had transformed but the odd thing was, he remembered it. He remembered that mysterious guy with the hypnotic voice, the one person named Heavymetal, and then he remembered being knocked out.

Looking around, he found himself in some sort of jail cell. It was a large steel room with a single barred window at the top and one makeshift bed, there didn't seem to be a door. He saw a pair of clothes close by, which was a welcome relief since his old ones were history.

They didn't quite fit him but at least it was better then nothing. After a few minutes, he could hear sounds coming from outside. He heard waves crashing, a distant caw of a sea bird, and then he heard a horn. If Tyler could guess, he must be on some sort of boat.

His first thought was where were these people taking him? And what exactly were they going to do to him. What was worse, there didn't seem a way out except for that window and even so, it was to high up and even if he could reach it, how would he be able to get out?

At first, Tyler thought of maybe turning into the beast but realized it wouldn't do him any good, probably just cause him more trouble.

"Ah good, your up" Tyler jumped at the sound of the voice. Looking around, he saw no one.

"Hey genius, up here" looking up, Tyler saw something hanging from one of the bars and couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise. It appeared to be a person but not like any Tyler had ever seen. It was hanging from a long, reptilian tail wrapped securely on the bar. It had the head like an enormous King Cobra with long skinny arms and large lizard-like legs each complete with deadly looking claws. It was also covered in light brown scales that stretched all over its body and wore a long, dark gray overcoat. All in all, it looked like something from Jurassic Park.

"Glad to see you up" it said, swingy up to the ceiling, where it began to craw down like a lizard.

"Now, I hope you aren't going to go all beast on me" the thing said as it detached itself from the wall "otherwise, I'll have to give you another nasty bump on your head. Deal?" at first, Tyler was going to reject but then again, those claws did look sharp. He nodded.

The thing smiled "good" it gave a shake and right before Tyler's eyes, it transformed into a regular man with jet-black hair, sharp features, and light green eyes. He was one of them Tyler thought.

"So, I take it you like your new place?" the man said.

"Who are you?" Tyler said, "Where am I? Where are you taking me?"

"Easy there amigo" the man said "one question at a time. Now, lets see…who am I you say? Well, you can just call me Snake".

"Cute nickname" Tyler retorted.

"Now, is that any way to behave?" Snake said in a slight hissing voice. Out of nowhere, his tail shot out from under his cloak and wrapped itself around Tyler's throat. Instantly, he felt the tail tighten on his neck and he began to struggle for breath.

"Now, are we going to behave better?" Snake hissed, pulling Tyler closer until he was right in his face, his reptilian eyes staring at him.

"y-yes!" Tyler gasped, "I will!"

Snake smiled "good" he unwrapped his tail and Tyler fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Now the we've come to an understand" Snake said, walking away from Tyler "I will answer your other question. You are right now on a freighter boat about a hundred miles of the Borneo coast en route to Tokyo".

"And why am I going there?" Tyler asked, slowly getting up, still clutching his sore neck.

"Because" Snake said "your unique, like I am. The employer I work for feels your ability could come in handy and would simply like to ask you a few questions".

"Well, you have a pretty fucked up way of showing it" Tyler said.

"Now what did I say about behaving?" Snake hissed, his tail slowly appearing from out of the cloak.

"Sorry" Tyler said.

"Better" he said, his tail ducking back inside, turning his head to face Tyler "now then, I would just like to let you know that until we reach our destination, I will be watching you. Just in case you get any ideas, like letting yourself go all ape on me. Clear?" Tyler nodded solemnly, seeing it was his only option.

"Good then" Snake said, turning around and walking past him "I will bring you lunch in about an hour or so. So until then" he gave a shake and instantly transformed back into his reptilian form "see ya".

Snake quickly scaled the wall and slithered out, Tyler watching his tail trailing before disappearing. Tokyo he thought why was he being sent there? And whom exactly was this employer Snake told him about?

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India _

"What is so important about this list?" Dalton asked.

Asheera was already prepared for this. Now was the time for Dalton to know the full truth, she just hope he wouldn't react like the chancellor.

"This, is a list" Asheera began "a list of people each possessing a rare and unique genetic code".

"And what is so important about this code?" he asked, "What is so important about this code that, you say, people are coming after us for?"

"Well" Asheera said, "this code is unlike any I or anyone else has ever witnessed before. It is a code that…well, alters the body. Actually no, scratch that, it is a code that alters a human being".

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"This code" she said "and I know this might sound completely crazy but this code…it gives people extraordinary abilities. Look" she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the little ceramic pony.

"Watch" she concentrated on it and the statue slowly jerked to life, outline becoming clearer, hair growing, and color appearing until a mini horse was held in the palm of her hand.

Dalton's mouth was hung open "t-that was…amazing!"

She nodded "yes, it was because of that coding that allowed me to do that" she turned the horse back into a statue and stuffed it into her bag.

"Now" she said "I must ask you, since you are on my list, have you developed any sort of ability?"

Dalton was silent for a moment, his face slightly darkened "I think I may" he said, sitting on the bed. Asheera couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Finally she thought someone else like her! This was undisputable evidence that her theory actually existed! Not just with her but with others as well!

"for the past…week or so" Dalton said "I've been having these…visions or whatever you like to call them".

"what do you mean visions?" she asked.

"visions of the future" he responded "I can…see things before they happen, almost like watching a movie from the future. Like, it first started on Monday when I saw this woman being run over by a bus and I was able to stop it. Then I saw a vision of a stock going up in sales and it did. They just kept on progressing as the days went before I had this one vision of this…guy coming in to kidnap me. And after that, I end up here".

she nodded "and these visions, they come randomly? You cannot control them?"

"no" he said "no I can't".

"What happens when they come?" she asked, wanting to know as much as possible "do they come instantaneously?"

"Kinda" Dalton said, "before I get the visions, I feel nauseated and my eyes begin to blur up, then the visions happen".

"And you say this started on Monday?"

"yes why?" he asked.

"Because" Asheera said, an idea dawning on her "it was Monday as well that I discovered my ability. I mean, not until Tuesday but I assume it happened the following night".

"Think it might be coincidence?" he asked.

"Maybe" she said "but we can't be sure yet" she paused for a moment.

"Here's what I think" she said "if these men are truly after us for our abilities, then that must mean they are after others as well, people on this list".

"but there are hundreds of names on that list" he said.

"Thousands more like it" she said.

"Even so" Dalton said, "Do you really think they would go after this many people?"

"Yes, I believe so" she said "I mean, as far as we know, there could be people out there developing abilities as we speak! These men could be after these people either to eliminate us, seeing them as a threat or using them for their own purpose".

"So what do we do then?" Dalton asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied, "We have to warn these people!"

"But like you said, there are thousands of names on that list" he responded "and there are only two of us! You can't expect us to just knock on all their doors and warn them, hell they might look at us as if we're bonkers!"

"Well what else can we do?" she said, "as far as I'm concerned, all these people on this list are in grave danger! And you saw back there just how far these people are willing to go to catch us, who knows they won't do the same to the others?" Dalton was silent.

"Here's something else that might convince you" she said. She quickly rummaged through her briefcase before pulling out a map of the Americas dotted with numerous red dots.

She handed it to Dalton "what is this?" he asked.

"About a month ago" she said "I stumbled upon news reports of many similar killings happening all over the Americas. See all these dots? These are the locations of the murders. According to reports, all the victims seemed to have suffered massive hemorrhaging of the brain, finding blood trails from the mouth, ears, eyes, and nose. They also found a huge hole located on each head of the victim. Inside, it looked as though the brains had been put through a blender, just one big pile of brain matter mush".

"so what's so important about these killings?" he asked.

"Okay, well take a look" she pointed to the map "you see how the killings form almost a rough straight path? Starting from the lower end of Argentina, stretching up into Central America go all the way up to the lower part of Michigan. But what got me going were the names. All the people that were killed were names on my list".

"So what?" he said "your saying that…these people are murdering the people on this list?"

"Yes and no" she said "see what I think is that they are kidnapping some and killing others, possibly to eliminate a huge threat or something, I'm not really sure but I am going on a hunch".

"So then we have to save the people they are targeting to kill then?" he asked.

"That's seems the plan" she replied.

"Okay, well how then are we going to do that?"

"Simple" she replied "it seems they are following an almost exact pattern, by that I mean going after the nearest person and from what I can tell it is only happening in the Americas so all we have…Dalton, are you okay?"

* * *

_Moscow, Russia _

By the time Yuri's flight had made it into Moscow, it was already past one o'clock at night. At this point, he was so exhausted. He had barely gotten any sleep at all in the past few days and felt like he was gonna collapse at any moment.

As soon as he got off the plane, his cell phone began to vibrate.

"Yes?" he said.

"Meet me at the local bar in the airport, the third table down, near the window" the voice said "I will then instruct you on your new mission".

"Understood" he flipped he cell phone off. Walking down the terminal, he soon came to the bar. He looked over to the window booths and soon spotted the man that had originally come for him after practice. He walked over and took a seat on the opposite bench.

"You've made it" the guy said in the English accent.

Yuri nodded "if its about the one who got away-"

"I told you before" the man said cutting him off "that isn't important any more" Yuri nodded.

The man shifted a little "you have been working for us for about…two months, am I correct?"

"yes" he said.

"and in that time" he continued "I assume you know by now what it is we do".

"you try to capture people…like me" he said.

"no Mr. Pavlova" the man said "not capture, simply detain. Believe me we don't want to hurt them, we want to help them, like we did with you".

Yuri tensed up "really?"

"Believe what you want to believe Mr. Pavlova" the man continued "I am only telling you the truth, you can choose to believe me or not, I really don't care. All I require from you is your cooperation".

"very well" Yuri said "then tell me, what is this assignment?"

the man took out his briefcase, snapped it open, and pulled out a few papers before pushing it aside.

"About three hours ago American time" he said, "an explosion went off in the downtown area of Detroit". He handed Yuri a large photo that showed a whole section of the city like a charred wasteland with half destroyed buildings and billowing smoke.

"The explosion destroyed seven city blocks and significantly damaged about nine other surrounding block. Killed an estimated twenty-nine people, mostly homeless folk considering that part of the city was pretty much abandoned already. The US government has already been quick to assume this to be a possible terrorist attack but we are fairly certain that this is the doing of this person". He handed Yuri another photograph, this one being a picture of a teenage boy.

"his name is Clark Leachman" the man continued "has pyrokinesis, being able to start fires with his mind. He only just recently discovered his powers this Monday and had just begun to learn to control his ability".

"So your saying, this teen did all this?" Yuri asked in disbelief.

"Yes" the man replied "that is not all. Only a few hours before, a similar incident occurred, only this time he set fire to a fellow classmate of his. The classmate is already in critical condition and there is a chance he won't make it past the week" the man paused and leaned forward.

"As you can see" the man said, "this teen is extremely dangerous. Mr. Lancaster wants him attained as soon as possible".

"What, you mean he'll do something like this again?" Yuri asked.

"Yes" he answered, "you must understand, this boy as of now is like a ticking time bomb. If he is to stay out in the open any longer, who's to know what might happen next? First city blocks, then a whole city, even an entire state perhaps?"

"You think he can actually do that?" Yuri asked.

"Its very likely" the man replied "now Mr. Lancaster has personally selected you, along with four others, it will be this group that will be responsible for catching him. now, I will contact you in a few days when the team is ready. Until then, you will go home and continue on with your normal life" Yuri breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he thought he could get some rest.

"As before" the man said getting up "you will speak of this to no one".

"I know" Yuri said, getting up as well.

"Until then" the man said "I will see you later" He put the files back in his suitcase and began to walk out of the bar.

* * *

_Mumbai, India _

When Asheera began to talk, Dalton felt the nausea come and his vision beginning to blur. it was happening again, a vision.

Everything was dark; a murky silence was in the air. All of a sudden a door opened and a streaming shaft of light appeared. It was a young Japanese girl. She was frightened. She was running, panting heavily, her school clothes torn. A dark presence filled the doorway. Someone was chasing her. The image faded and a new one appeared.

He was now in some sort of courtyard. It was the girl again, only this time she was on the ground. Half of her right leg was missing, as if it had been torn off. She was crawling away, a trail of blood being left behind by her severed leg. The presence appeared, walking towards her slowly. She began to scream, as he got closer, her left arm outstretched before her, as if pleading for her life. Dalton saw all the fingers on her hand bend backwards until they broke off. She gave another scream, clutching her injured hand, still trying to crawl away. The presence put a foot on her back and then pointed at her head. The vision faded out, but not before he heard the girls final scream.

He was now back in the motel room, Asheera looking at him in worry.

"are you all right?" she said.

"I think I've found their next target" Dalton said.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Somerset, Kentucky _

For two days now, Clark had been running. He didn't know where he was going, had no plan on what to do, all he could was keep running. He mostly hitched his rides, traveling wherever the travelers went; so far he hadn't encountered any weirdo's.

He now found himself in the town of Somerset, sitting down at a local bar, drinking a Dr. Pepper. He was broke, hadn't washed since Friday, and barely had any sleep. as he took another drink, he looked up at the TV to find a special report.

"we bring you this special news report" the reporter lady said "it seems new evidence has turned up for the Detroit bombing that occurred this Friday. While it has been reported as a bombing, new evidence has come forward to suggest otherwise. Here with more is Sara Li" the TV cut to a small Chinese woman at the charred remains of the site.

"we are here with local law enforcer Deputy Johnson who has uncovered new evidence in the tragic even". The camera zoomed over to a gray haired man in a police uniform.

"at first, we did suspect a bombing" he said "but after close examination, we think this is not the case".

"how so?" she asked.

"well, when we went to the purposed starting point of the bomb, we couldn't find any sort of physical evidence of a bomb going off. As you can see" the camera panned over to a certain spot, the place Clark instantly recognized as the place where he woke up.

"there is no crater or any sort of cracking that would come from a bomb, nor any physical leftovers. By the looks of it, it was almost as if a giant lighter had gone off".

"so if it wasn't a bomb, then what exactly was it?" she asked.

"we are still not certain of a cause but are working actively on clues. But what I can tell you is that the cause of this incident was not that of a bomb". Sara signed off and it reported back to the lady.

"according to a survey, approximately twenty-nine people were killed in the accident, most of them homeless people while five others happened to be local citizens-" Clark couldn't watch it anymore. He quickly got up and headed out of the bar.

He began to breath heavily. Its all my fault he thought its my fault that those people are dead, all because of…that guy.

He hadn't thought much of that man who chased him but now he remembered. He remembered him relentlessly following him, he remembered being knocked over, he remember that searing pain he felt when that main pointed at him. why was he chasing him? he thought why? and, was he still following him? Was he out there right now, stalking him, and watching him.

That guy seemed invincible. Clark thought of something. Did that guy had what he had? Did he too possess some sort of power as well? If so, does that mean he wasn't alone? How many others were out there just like him. the thoughts were just to great to comprehend and to numerous to answer all at once.

I have to figure this out he thought I just have to. He turned down the street and began to walk.

* * *

**Authors note: keep the reviews coming people.**


	14. Prison Break

_Pelican Bay State Prison- Crescent City, California_

Pelican Bay houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the greater California area. Built as a Super Maximum prison, it is situated almost 11 miles from the California and Oregon state line in a remote forested area, far away from a heavily populated city. With almost 3,301 prisoners, most of the general population was classified as Level IV maximum-security. While the other, more dangerous criminals are held in the SHU section of the prison. A large x shaped cluster of white buildings made specifically for one prisoner at a time.

Out of all the SHU prisoners, the most infamous of them all was a woman named Dahlia Shafer.

One of the only few girls in the prison, she and her sister Kara Shafer, were convicted of brutally killing seven people from the California and Utah area.

Dahlia was a certified sociopath and mentally disturbed, prone to lashing out at a moments noticed. On the day she was arrested, she managed to kill two police man, severely injure three others, and led a three hour car chase across the San Francisco streets, killing five pedestrians in the process until she was finally apprehended. During her trial, she was reported to have jumped from the witness stand and violently attack the prosecutor, nearly ripping his throat open. It took a total of three security guards to subdue her. When she was being transferred to the prison, she jumped the guards escorting her, severely injuring two of them and was able to gouge out the thirds left eye. And during a normal exercise session, she reported to have jumping onto one of the men, ripping out his hair and biting his neck. It was this incident that caused her to be transferred to the SHU facility.

It seemed Dahlia suffered from violent psychotic urges. These urges could come at any moment and she would totally lose control, violently attacking the closest person. She also appeared to suffer from extreme schizophrenia and might even be bipolar, though it has never been proven. Normally, the mental ill were not to be held in SHU after the lawsuit of 93 but in her case, they made an exception. Either way, it was evident Dahlia was extremely unstable and it was because of her actions that made her one of the prisons highest priorities.

As for her sister Kara, she was almost the exact opposite of her sister. Born a mute, she was a very reclusive woman and hardly ever seem responsive, almost as if she was in her own little world. Because of her condition, it was never determined if she was as disturbed as her sister, but it was proven she had assisted in the murders. Because of her docile behavior, she was one of the prisons most well behaved patients and was even going to be transferred to a regular woman's prison in just two weeks.

It had been five years since the two had been convicted. Dahlia was to be brought up soon to determine if she was to be put on death row and Kara to have her sentenced reduced on good behavior.

Though it has never been confirmed but there have been some speculation that there was a third killer involved.

* * *

Dahlia was slouched in the corner of her small-undecorated cell. She was a thin woman and only about 5'4 in height. She had a wild mane of jet-black hair that was unkempt and bushy. Her face was withdrawn, her lips extremely thin, her teeth an ugly yellow color, and a pair of wild hazel eyes, like that of a caged animal ready to strike. 

She was gnawing at her dirty fingernails while her other hand was scratching at the floor.

We must escape.

The small window sent in a small shaft of sunlight into the room but Dahlia hated the sun, preferring to be in the dark.

They cannot hold us.

A discarded tray of food sat on her bed, barely touched, with just one bite to the sandwich and a few gulps of water.

Its time, we must escape.

She heard someone knock on her door.

"Come on Dahlia," said the officer "time for your exercise hour".

Filthy bastards, filthy scum, curse them. Kill them.

She didn't get up, almost as if she never heard him.

"You know the drill Dahlia, hands to the wall" she reluctantly got up, her body making odd jerking moments as she spread her hands on the wall. She heard the door open and the man came in, taking her hands and handcuffing her.

Filth, filth all of them! Kill them, kill them.

The man led her out into the sunlight. She hissed at the bright light hit her eyes and he led her to her small, caged pen. He took her in, forced her to the fence, un-cuffed her, and then headed outside, locking the door behind him.

We hate them, we loathe them. Kill them, kill them.

For her entire hour she just walked idly around the cell, cocking her head back and humming to herself, as if people were cheering for her.

"la da ta, la da ta" she hummed "ta la de da. la da ta, la da ta, ta la de da".

"all right Dahlia, times up" the officer said "hands against the wall". She did as she was told, the door behind her opening.

kill them, kill them.

She felt his hand on her and immediatly she took hold of it.

"Hey!" he yelled in alarm. She twisted it violently, cackling like a maniac and she jumped him. She began to claw at him, her eyes wild, the rush of it all intoxicating her. She dove and took a chunk of his ear, causing him to scream in pain. She heard others coming. Quickly, she grabbed his stick from his waist and whacked the nearest one in the leg but the other jumped her.

"Bastards!" she yelled, "get your hands of me! Filthy cocksuckers! You will burn! BURN!" she gave an all mighty screech, spitting at one that came to close. Three more officers came and knocked her out with a blow to the head and a shot of tranquilizer.

* * *

The warden, head officer, and the psychiatrist were now watching a tape. It was Dahlia's first session with the doctor after she was confined. 

"tell me Dahlia" the doctor said "why did you attack your fellow prisoner?"

"I had to" she said in her soft voice "we had to".

"who is we?" he asked.

"Dahlia and me" she said.

"so your not Dahlia?"

"I am".

"but you just said-"

"then you were wrong!" she bellowed.

"all right, all right, calm down now" the doctor said "I was only asking. Now Dahlia, you say you get these urges. was it this urge that made you attack him?"

"maybe" she said.

"do you think so?" he asked.

"I don't know" she replied.

"Do you like killing people?" he asked.

"Yes" she said.

"Why?"

"It excites me".

"So you killed those seven people because you wanted to?"

"No".

"Why did you then?"

"I had to".

"Says who?" no response.

"Is it these urges that made you kill those people?" the doctor asked "is that why you truly killed them? Because you had to, because someone told you?" she didn't respond, only looking at him blankly.

"does someone tell you?" he asked. no response.

"does someone tell you?" he asked again. still no response.

"does-" then before he could respond, she suddenly snapped and began to roar, diving at the doctor and wrapping her hands around his neck. Instantly, five cops rushed into the room and began grabbing her.

"filthy cocksuckers!" she bellowed "your all pigs! Pigs all of you! Bastards! Cunts! filthy cunts, gets your hands of me!" she roared with rage as they dragged her out of the room. Then the tape ended.

"and she had another outburst?" the doctor asked.

"yep" the head officer replied "she took out one of my men, bite almost half his ear off". There was a pause.

"doctor" the warden said "you're the expert".

"well" he said "I highly suggest we put her on medication. That or transfer her to the best psychiatric hospital in California".

"no way" the warden said "out of the question. She is far too dangerous to send to a regular hospital. No, she will remain here. I want her put on medication immediately, the strongest there is. If she refuses, then force it down her throat".

"yes sir" said the doctor.

"captain" the warden continued "she has already been sent to solitary confinement?"

"yes sir" he responded.

"good, keep her there for the next two days".

* * *

Filthy bastards, filthy scum, try to poison us. Curse them, curse them all. 

Dahlia was once again confined in the padded white room, having been her so many times she barely noticed it was another room.

She raised her skinny arm, running her hand through her unkempt hair. she stared at her hand, her wild eyes fixed onto it. Then, it began to glow a soft blue color. She aimed her open palm to one of the walls and let loose a small burst of blue energy. The padding exploded and a small dent appeared in the metal work.

Its time to escape.

* * *

A full week past. Dahlia was confined to her room for the entire week, never being allowed out. It was tonight she would be let out and taken to the infirmary to begin her medication. Since it was obvious she wasn't going to take it herself, they were going to have to chain her to a chair and force the pills down her throat. 

They came to her room and instructed her against the wall so they could handcuff her. Then they led her outside into the night and into the main building.

She followed them blankly, keeping her head down so she couldn't look at them.

Almost there, we escape soon.

They turned a corner, now passing the hall that led to the prisoner's cells. It was also down that hall where her sister was being held.

Do it, do it now!

She shifted her hand a little and concentrated on the cuffs. She sent a tiny bolt into the keyhole and surely enough, they came lose.

We go now!

She jumped on the nearest officer, causing him to yell in alarm. As his partner rushed over, she sent another blast, causing the officer to be lifted of his feet and hit the wall with a sickening thud.

She grabbed the officer's stick and knocked him right across the head, sending him down.

We must hurry, they come soon.

She tore down the hall to the prisoner's bay, the stick held up as a warning. She spotted three more down the hall who instantly spotted her and began calling for backup. She sent another blast, this one so powerful that it literally exploded when they met contact with the guards, blowing them all to bits.

Not far, must keep going, they come soon.

She soon came to her sister's cell. Standing back, she raised her palm and fired. There was an explosion and when the dust cleared, a huge hole had been made in the wall. Inside, she spotted her sister.

Kara, like her sister, was a very thin woman. She had long bleached blonde hair that almost went to her hips. A pair of watery blue eyes that seemed to gaze into nothingness and she was so pale it almost seemed like she had never been in the sun before.

She gazed up when the explosion happened.

"Come one sissy!" her sister exclaimed, jumping through the hole "we're leaving now, come on, follow me!" she grabbed her sisters hand and pulled her up. She helped her out of the cell and they began to run.

When she exited the prisoners bay, she saw a whole group of guards coming. She began to pick up speed, jumping over the fallen guards and rushing through the gate. Sirens soon began to go off and spotlights were being turned on outside.

Seeing how they weren't going out the front, Dahlia had to improvise. She suddenly came to a halt and turned around. She fired another blast at the ceiling, causing a whole pile of rubble to fall, blocking off the chasing guards. Then she turned to the wall and fired again, blowing another hole in the wall.

Still keeping a firm hand on her sister, they rushed through the hole and cautiously made their way across the yard.

Dahlia quickly pressed her self against the building as a spotlight swiveled past her. Looking over, she spotted guards swarming the area, tracking dogs in hand. and trucks being deployed.

Looking around, Dahlia realized that the time for hiding was no more. They were going to have to make a run for it. She spotted a lone patrol car situated at the entrance gate. Their one shot.

Must hurry, must go, no time to wait.

"hold on sissy!" she said and they began to run.

Instantly, the guards spotted her and Dahlia began to let loose a barrage of blasts. Soon the yard looked like it was being bombed as blue balls began to flash across the yard, exploding on impact, dirt flying in the air, gaurds screaming as some of the blast connected.

Then Dahlia let loose the largest one she could, sending a beach ball sized blast at the on coming trucks. When it made contact a huge explosion erupted into the sky and the yard was lit up from the flare. Dahlia saw the gate coming closer and when they were near, she blasted the thing of its hinges.

A lone guard came from the small station posted at the gate.

"freeze!" he yelled, gun cocked and ready.

Need him, get his keys. We need them!

Dahlia smiled "Kara, could you do your sissy a favor? Would you do that special little thing I love so much on this guard? Pretty please?"

Although Kara looked like she hadn't heard her, Dahlia knew that she would do anything she asked. her sister looked up and locked eyes with the guard, staring him down with her piercing blue eyes.

A strange look crossed the guards face, eyes glazing over, and he began to lower his gun.

"good" Dahlia said "that's very nice sissy. Now, I want you to make the guard give us the car keys please".

her eyes still locked on the guard, he began to walk over, a vacant look in his eyes and he handed them over the keys.

"that's great sissy!" she exclaimed "now, I want you to instruct the guard to shoot anyone who tries to follow us, okay?"

the guard then turned around and walked to the blown up gate entrance and held out his gun. As the other guards began to draw near, he began to shoot. One went down and they took cover, firing at their turned comrade.

Dahlia smiled evilly "thank you sissy, you've made me so happy. Now come on, lets go" she took hold of her sisters hand again and led her to the car.

Starting it up, she slammed on the gas and the car rocketed off down the road.

We did it, we escape, we escaped!

Now that they were finally out of that hellhole, it was time for the next part. Even though she had been confined to that prison for so long, she was still allowed a TV in her room. That was how she learned of the killings. At first she couldn't believe it but slowly, she realized it was true. he was back again.

Now, it was time to find him.


	15. Six Degree's of Seperation

Seven people from all walks of life have begun to discover the true meaning of their powers and already, fate has begun to bring them all together. The teenager, whose power he now fears and is now on the run from the disaster he created. The hockey player, employed to a mysterious man, whose job is to capture others like him. The stockbroker and the college professor, both brought together under mysterious circumstances and now race to save another. The drug mule, which must now survive on her own in a foreign country. The surfer captured by others like his own and now faces an uncertain future. And the deaf girl, whose very life now hangs in the balance as a deadly killer approaches. With a mysterious group hunting them and a dangerous killer who seeks to destroy them, the obstacles are great and the sacrifices…will be even greater.

* * *

_Catalina Portillo- Nashville, USA _

It was afternoon on a bright sunny day in Nashville. For two days now, Catalina had been running. Realizing she wouldn't be safe in Miami, she quickly got out of the city before she was discovered again. Hopefully, they wouldn't try following her out of the city.

After a few hours of hiking, she found herself exhausted and couldn't take a few more steps. So she decided to take a risk and she snuck into the back of a large truck that was hauling furniture and hoped for the best.

It wasn't before long the driver discovered her presence and immediately kicked her out onto the highway. Luckily for her, she noticed a sign that indicated Nashville was only two miles away. Least it wasn't nowhere.

Now, she was propped up against a wall in a deserted ally wondering what to do next. She couldn't return home, that was for sure and right now she had nowhere to go. Her clothes were now extremely crusty, she knew she was absolutely filthy, she had no money, and she basically found herself stuck.

It seemed the only option for her was to just…keep running. Even though she hadn't seen those men since Miami and was fairly certain Alvarez was unaware she was still alive, she couldn't help but think that maybe they were still following, still gunning after her for the heroin.

By this point, she had already flushed out a fair amount of pills and guessed she only had a few more left in her. She just wanted them out as soon as possible, especially now that they have been in her stomach for a few days, the stomach acids dissolving away at the coating. Sooner or later, they might burst and then she would have a serious problem.

She was now walking out of a clothing store where tucked underneath her skirt were a pair of brand new clothes. She decided enough was enough and she had to get some new clothes, even if it meant stealing.

She slipped into an alley and changed into her new outfit, which happened to be a long white-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans that barely extended past her knees. She threw away her old clothes in a nearby dumpster and began walking down the alley.

As she went farther down, she realized that she might have made a bad decision. She noticed figures detaching themselves from the shadows and with it she began to panic, walking faster until someone stepped in front of her.

"Hey now senorita" the man said, who was extremely dirty, his clothes ripped, hair wild, and his odor absolutely foul "where do you think your going?"

"I just need to pass through" she replied, "please, I just wanna go" as she began to move the man stepped in front of her again.

"Hey now, what's the rush?" he said, moving closer "all we want is to talk to ya, you know, a little this and that" his hand then touched her arm "maybe just be friends".

"Look" she said, pulling her arm away "I really-"

"Your not going anywhere bitch" the man growled, grabbing her arm hard.

"P-please! Let go" she tried shaking him off but he pulled her to the wall and three others began walking towards her, a ravenous look in their eyes.

"Quit struggling" the man said, slapping her across the face "this won't take but a minu-" he never finished his sentence cause all of a sudden his arm caught on fire and he instantly let go, waving his hand frantically to put it out.

Seeing her chance, she quickly put up a force field and sent it flying at him, knocking the man off his feat. She fired another field at the remaining men advancing, sending them off their feet as well.

"Hey!" she heard someone yell, "Come on, let's go!" turning around, she saw someone motioning to her from down the alley.

She took a step back, believing it to be another attacker "don't worry! I'm not going to hurt you!" the figure said, "I'm trying to help! Now come on, there getting up!" she looked to see that the men were indeed getting up, the shock wearing off.

Seeing this person as no harm, she took off down the alley towards him and the two began to run. They ran for a few more minutes until they figured they lost them and stopped in a parking lot, both panting.

Looking over, she saw that her rescuer was nothing more but a teenager. He looked pretty grimy, his clothes crinkly and dirty, his dark brown hair looking very greasy. In fact, he seemed no older then fifteen.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Ya" she replied, "I'm okay".

"I saw you do that thing," he said.

She instantly froze at the sound of that, realizing she had used her ability right out in the open.

"Don't worry" he replied, "I'm like you. I was the one who made that guys arm catch on fire".

She looked at him curiously "r-really?" she asked. It never occurred to her that there were others like her out in the world.

"Ya" he replied "the names Clark. Clark Leachman. What's yours?"

"Catalina" she replied.

"That's a pretty name," the boy named Clark said.

This made her smile a little "thanks".

"Its nice to meet you Catalina" he said.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- Tokyo Harbor, Japan _

Tyler remained on that boat for another two days and by then, he thought he might go crazy. The only thing he could do to pass the time was sleep most of the time or pace around his prison, occasionally looking up to see any sign they had arrived yet.

Tyler still wasn't sure who exactly wanted to see him but he figured he gotten an idea when he spotted a small indentation in the wall. Looking closer, he saw it was a logo for a company called Itex. Tyler was sure he had heard the name before but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

On Sunday morning, they arrived.

"Oh sleeping beauty!" Tyler awoke to Snake's call, who was once again hanging by his tail from the rafters "we have arrived" he said.

"Great" Tyler replied as he got off the uncomfortable bed.

"I think we already went over the lip issue," Snake hissed, his eyes gleaming.

"Sorry" he replied reluctantly.

"Good" Snake said, beginning to scale down the wall. Once at the ground, he produced what looked like two cone-like objects welded together.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Oh these?" Snake asked, "just a pair of modified handcuffs. See inside these handcuffs is a very special tranquilizer that cuts of brain functions to the rest of the body, making you go as limp as a noodle. That way you won't try anything while we move you".

Snake began to approach "now, are you going to cooperate? Or will I have to use force to put these on?"

Tyler decided to cooperate. He held out his hands and Snake slipped on the odd handcuffs. He felt a small pinch on his wrist and a few moments later, he began to loose feeling in his arms and legs until he buckled over, Snake catching him with his tail.

Wrapping his tail around him, Snake began to scale the wall with Tyler in tow like an overgrown rag doll.

It was the oddest sensation Tyler had ever experienced. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't move any part of his body, all his limbs just hung loosely by his side.

Once they slipped out of the cell, Tyler was instantly bagged over the head and handed over to others. The rest of the trip felt like a series of ups and downs as he felt himself hauled along by his captors. He could make out the sounds of the city as cars drove by, people shouted in Japanese, and the honks of distant boats out in the harbor.

He felt himself hauled into what must have been some sort of truck and the doors slam behind him. A little rumble and the car started up and began to make its way down some street.

Where were these guys taking him?

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan _

Rika woke to a bright Sunday morning, quite fitting actually. Today, she, Kazumi and the others were going to the mall for the day. What made it even better was Kenji was going to be there.

Maybe she was thinking too much into it but the events at the theater still played over and over in her mind. It had to mean more, it just had to!

Ever since the theater, Rika had been thinking about asking Kenji out to the dance. To celebrate the school track teams admission into the nationals, the school decided to throw a dance the night before the team was to go to the nationals held in Kyoto, Japan. It was a very big honor, especially for a hearing impaired school no less.

She quickly showered and put together an outfit consisting of a light pink top, black skirt, and a long sleeved black t-shirt. Walking into the kitchen, she saw her dad sitting at the counter with the paper in hand and coffee in the other.

_Hey _he signed _going out tonight?_

_Ya_ she replied _the girls and I were thinking of going to the mall._

_That sounds nice_ he replied.

_Do you have to work again today?_

_Yes but it should only take a few hours or so. How long are you staying out?_

She shrugged _maybe until five or six at least._

_Well then, I should be home by then _he replied.

_How much longer will all this take? _She asked.

_It shouldn't be much more_ he replied _just need to tie up a few loose ends and we should be done._

Rika felt her phone vibrate. Taking it out of her bag, she saw it was a message from Kazumi saying she was waiting down in the lobby.

_Well, I have to go, Kazumi's hear _she signed.

_All right, have fun _he replied _oh, before I forget, what do you want for dinner?_

Rika thought a moment _just get a carry out._ She grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

Stepping out of the elevator, she spotted Kazumi waiting on one of the lobby benches. She waved at her and headed over.

_Are we meeting the others at the mall? _Rika asked

_Yes, at the main entrance _she replied _oh and I think you should know that Megumi is coming with us as well._

Rika let out an annoyed grunt. Megumi was Hitomi's twin sister and while Hitomi was a pretty decent person, Megumi was almost unbearable. She was high maintenance, mean, and extremely…friendly around the guys.

And to make matters worse, she had some sort of grudge against Rika. She would catch her making snide comments about her being deaf, would constantly give her the cold shoulder, and just act like a bitch towards her. And the fact she didn't know why she hated her so much was what really got to her.

_Why does she have to come? _Rika signed in a very agitated manner.

_She just wanted to_ Kazumi replied _I know you and her have this sort of thing between each other but Hitomi made her promise not to be mean to you._

_Which was a waste of time_ she replied.

_Well, no Megumi or not, we are still going to have a good time. After all, KENJI will be there _she made a very exaggerated sign when she came to his name.

_Shut up!_ Rika replied hastily.

As they walked through the throngs of people out in the street, they almost found themselves road kill when a large truck came barreling out of nowhere, nearly flattening the two girls.

Rika gave them a rude sign and then a _watch where your going ass hole! _

_That guy was driving like a maniac! _Kazumi replied _wonder why he's in such a rush?_

_Who cares, lets just go._

After taking a short train ride, they arrived at Sunshine City, an enormous building complex that had its own planetarium, aquarium, museum, hotel, indoor theme park, convention center, theater, and shopping mall. Though Rika had been here many times before, she still couldn't help but gasp with awe at the huge structure.

They saw the others waiting by the huge Sunshine City billboard, where Rika could automatically spot Megumi with her risqué outfit and loads of makeup.

"Hello Kazumi" Megumi said as Rika read her lips "Rika". She nodded back and noticed Kenji standing a few paces from her, making her blush a little.

They all headed over to the mall and began to idly look around at things, Rika slightly cowering at the sigh of Kenji nearby. Just ask him she thought I mean, what's the worse that could happen?

She felt someone tap her shoulder and she saw it was Megumi.

"You like him?" she asked.

Rika waved a hastily no.

"Don't lie now Rika, I can see it on your face!" Megumi replied, "I wouldn't blame ya, he is kinda hot. But I think I should be the first to tell you, I really don't think he's going to have much interest in you. I mean, you really aren't that pretty, kinda plain actually, not to be rude or anything" that was a load of shit.

"I'm just saying," Megumi kept going "as a friend, I just think you're out of your league. Besides, you really think he would go out with a deaf girl?" Rika almost gasped at what she said, a wave of shock and anger flooding through her.

"Oh look, I think that top over there wants me as much as I want it" and she headed off without a last glance at her.

_Bitch_ she signed.

As much as Rika simply wanted to go all ghost, dive into Megumi's body, and fling her shirt off for the world to see, she decided not to sink to her level. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was kind of right. She really was kind of plain looking, nothing really special about her (unless you counted her little ghost trick), and besides, would he really want to go to some dance full of deaf people?

Then she saw something that snapped her out of her thoughts. Right in front of her, she saw Megumi practically hanging onto Kenji, laughing hysterically. And just to add salt to the wound, she saw her reach across for some hideous looking shirt and 'accidentally' place her hand on his crotch area.

Rika's jaw clenched and she began to seethe with anger. That nasty tramp! She thought. She felt someone tap her shoulder and this caused her to turn around and sign angrily _WHAT!_

And it was only Kazumi, who looked a bit put off when she replied _uh…you like this shirt?_

* * *

_Nashville, USA _

After regaining their breath, Clark and Catalina walked out of the parking lot and found themselves at a TV shop where the evening news was playing on the eight different televisions shown.

"Hi, I'm Karen Platt with breaking news" said the newswoman, then the TV switched to an image of a building complex where smoke was rising and fires were raging "what at first seems to be the sight of a recent battle is actually the smoking grounds of Pelican Bay prison where just hours ago two female inmates made a daring escape across the grounds. These two inmates have been identified as Dahlia Shafer and her sister Kara Shafer, both remembered for brutally murdering seven people. It is still uncertain how the sisters escaped but from our view, it almost appears as though bombs had been used in the process. The warden of Pelican Bay is scheduled to make a press conference later today to address the issue but civilians have been notified of the siblings, who are highly dangerous, possibly armed, and should be reported to the police if they are spotted. We will have more on the story later this evening. In other news, a memorial service will be held today in Detroit in the after match of the bombing that occurred in Detroit-"

When she began to say that, Catalina saw Clark quickly begin to walk off, a distraught look on his face.

"Hey" she said, "are you all right?"

"Not really" Clark said.

"Why not?"

"Well, when your responsible for the deaths of twenty-nine people, you can't help but feel bad" Catalina looked at him curiously.

Clark proceeded to tell her about the events that Friday night, about the mysterious man, the euphoric rush, the explosion, everything. When he was finished, Catalina looked at him with shock on her face. Since traveling up the US, Catalina had heard about the mysterious bombing that occurred in Detroit but never did she expect that she would be standing in front of the perpitrator and having it to be this teenager be the cause of it, that was just shocking.

"Ya" Clark said once he finished "its bad".

The two didn't speak for a while, walking down the street "so this…man" Catalina began "do you think he's still after you?"

"Maybe" he replied "but I haven't seen him since the incident. Maybe he thinks I died during the whole thing".

"And you have no idea why he was after you?" she continued.

"Nope" Clark said.

"Do you think he's…well, one of us?" she asked, "by what you described, I would assume…"

"Its likely" Clark said "that would explain how he jumped from a three stories up and not have a scratch on him and how he did that whole thing with his finger".

They crossed the street with a group of people when the light turned red "so what's you story?" he asked "cause you don't seem like the type to be running".

Catalina had feared this, now it was time to tell her story.

"All right" she said, taking a deep breath. She told Clark about her life in Buenos Aires, about her mother and two brothers, her job as a drug mule, about the botched operation, about her now running in fear that these men were still after her.

"wow" Clark said when she finished "deep". She nodded.

"so" Clark asked "you never knew about your…ability till last week?"

"yes" she replied.

"And these…pills" he kept going "are any…still inside you?"

"Maybe a few" she said "but as far as I know, I think I've gotten most of them out".

He nodded "so where are you planning to go?"

"I don't know" she replied, "I guess, far away, until I find a way to get back home. You?"

He shrugged "dunno" he replied "maybe when I'm ready to go back as well, I'll be able to…control this ability".

There was a short pause "by the way" Catalina said "I never thanked you for helping me back there".

"It was nothing" he replied "couldn't just leave ya like that". She smiled but she felt an odd sensation pass through her. Turning her head around, she noticed that two men had been following them now for quite some time.

"Something wrong?" Clark asked.

"I think we need to go," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Cause those two men behind us have been following us since the traffic light" she replied.

"You sure?" Clark asked, "I don't see anyone".

Catalina looked at him puzzled. Turning around, the two men were gone.

"but-but" she stuttered "they were, they were right there".

* * *

_Tokyo, Japan _

By the time they left Sunshine City, Rika had had just about enough of Megumi. Every time she looked over, she saw Megumi trying to make another pass at Kenji, either that be laughing hysterically, clinging to his arm, or running her fingers through his hair. They soon got onto a train and made their way to Shibuya, a popular shopping district.

Rika couldn't help but seethe with anger as they began to walk towards the shopping district. Once they arrived at the busy intersection, the girls then decided to drag the boys into Shibuya 109, a very popular shop center for young girls.

But no matter how she tried, Rika just couldn't keep her eyes off Megumi and Kenji. Right now, Megumi was once again laughing at something he said and began to latch onto him like an overgrown leech.

_Are you okay? _Kazumi asked.

_Great_ Rika replied.

_It's not because of Megumi throwing herself at Kenji, is it? _She asked.

_No, it's not that!_ Rika exclaimed. She looked over again and saw Megumi plant a kiss on Kenji's cheek. This was the last straw for Rika and she began to walk away.

_Wait! Where are you going? _Kazumi asked as she began to go.

_Bathroom_ Rika replied. She quickly made her way to the restrooms and found herself an empty stall. Making sure the door was locked; she sat down on the toilet seat and concentrated. The familiar rush came and when she opened her eyes, she was now in ghost form, her body slumped over the toilet.

Lets see how she feels now once her top comes off Rika thought as she whisked out of the stall. Floating over the store, she spotted Megumi soon enough, once again clinging onto Kenji like the whore she was.

She dove down until she was just hovering above her head. Get ready bitch she thought. As she was about to dive in, she saw the two exchange a few words and she began to walk away. Curious, she floated over to Kenji's face as he began to talk to the others.

"I swear you guys" he said "if I have to spend one more moment with that girl, I'm going to castrate myself".

"Oh come on" one of the others said "she doesn't look that bad".

"Are you kidding?" he replied "she's like an annoying little dog you can't get rid off, always slobbering over you and such. Besides, she's not my type".

"Oh really?" said another "then who is your type?"

"Well" Kenji said, slightly blushing "you know that one chick Rika?" Rika would have fainted had she not been in ghost form (wait, can you faint as a ghost? she thought). At first, she thought she read that wrong but as she kept one reading, she realized he was talking about her.

After a few moments, she had heard enough. Feeling on top of the world she zoomed back into the bathroom and entered into her body. As she walked out, she saw Kazumi waiting for her, looking concerned.

_You all right? _She asked, then she saw Rika's expression _what's so funny?_

_Nothing _Rika replied.

From that moment on, Rika couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Megumi making such a fool off herself. And as the hours past, it became very obvious Kenji was growing tired of her.

Finally, when they were just about ready to go home, Rika decided to risk it. When Megumi went of somewhere after a failed attempt to kiss Kenji, she walked over to him and motioned them to somewhere private. When they were away, he looked at her.

_What's up? _he asked.

She bit her lip a little _I was…just wondering._

_Wondering what?_

Okay she thought here it comes. _Well, there's this…dance at my school tomorrow and I was just wondering if maybe…you'd like to go with me._

Kenji stared into her eyes and smiled. He then replied _I love to._

Rika nearly did faint this time but somehow managed to keep her herself steady and let out a big smile.

_Really? _She asked, still not believing it.

_Of course_ he said. He looked over his shoulder and signed _we better go, seems like we're leaving._ Rika nodded and they headed for the group.

He tapped her on the shoulder_ and do me a favor,__ keep that crazy girl away from me._

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Mumbai, India _

"Dalton, this is crazy" Asheera said for the thousandth time as they made their way into the Mumbai airport.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Dalton replied, "We need to go to Tokyo and save that girl".

"But Dalton" Asheera said, "How do you even know it was Tokyo?"

"I don't know" Dalton replied, "I just have a feeling".

"Look, even if your right" she continued "there are over 8 million people in Tokyo alone! How do you expect us to find one girl out of that lot?"

"Again, I don't know" he replied "all I know is, we have to find that girl before they do".

"And even if we find her" she continued "what are we suppose to do then? Tell her some maniac with abilities is coming to get her? She'll look at us as if we're mad! And what do we do when he decides to round on us?"

"Once again, I don't know" Dalton said.

"look Dalton" she said, stopping him "I know you want to save this girl but the fact is, we do not have a real plan! Heck, we don't even know if we're going in the right place! I want to help this girl as well but until we have a solid plan…hey, are you listening to me?" Dalton's face had suddenly gone blank and he seemed to be staring off into space. A few moments later, he seemed to come back with a triumphant look on his face.

"did you have another vision?" she asked.

"yes" Dalton said "and I was right! She is in Tokyo! And I was able to see something else".

"what?" she asked.

"it looked to be the sign of a school" he said "the Shinjuku School for the Hearing Impaired".

"Shinjuku" Asheera said, thinking of the name "I know that. It's the name of one of the special wards of Tokyo, or districts as you would call them".

"still doubt me now?" Dalton asked, a smug look on his face.

"very funny" Asheera said "well, looking at the schedule, I think we can make the six thirty flight if they aren't already full".

"well, what are we waiting for then?" Dalton said. The two headed over to the register desk and luckily, they had a few open spots. The next thing they knew, they were taking off and on their way to Tokyo.

* * *

**Authors note: keep the reviews coming! all i ask for.**


	16. The Man Behind the Desk

_Yuri Pavlova- Moscow. Russia_

* * *

The telephone on their bed stand woke Yuri from a dead sleep. Looking at the clock, it was almost four thirty in the morning. Who could be calling at this time of night? He thought, though he probably knew the answer already. 

"Get that will you" Ana said sleepily. He fumbled slightly for the phone and held it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said in a groggy voice.

"You're being sent out today," said the familiar voice.

"Where?" Yuri asked.

"You are first going to London to meet with Mr. Lancaster" the man replied "its standard procedure for first timers. Your plane leaves in two hours, there should be a letter at your door with your ticket and passport. Someone will meet you once you're in London and explain the rest. That's all" then the phone went dead.

"Why are they asking for you again?" Ana asked an hour earlier as he began to pack for the airport "you only got back a few days ago".

"You know I can't refuse them honey" he replied.

"I just think they should just go a little easier on you" she said "what with practice and all. Isn't your first game next week?"

"Yes" Yuri replied, zipping his briefcase "but don't worry, I'll manage it" he walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be back soon", he said.

"Bye" she called to him as he walked out the door.

A few hours later, Yuri found himself back in London and being escorted to a black car by a bald man in a suit. The whole drive was in silence, the man nor Yuri speaking to one another until finally the Itex building came into view.

This would be the first time Yuri had seen Mr. Lancaster since the day they first met four months ago. Yuri still wasn't sure what exactly it was he did besides send people to gather others like him. All he knew was that he was the CEO of the Itex corporation, for which even after two months of employment, he still had no idea what it was Itex did exactly. But from what he knew, it was a pretty big corporation with buildings in London, New York, and Tokyo and many other smaller buildings in other cities.

The man led Yuri into the building's main lobby and directed him to the elevator. Once inside, the man pressed a button labeled **private** and the elevator whirled to life and began to climb.

A few minutes later, the doors opened to a small hallway with a double door entrance at the end.

"Wait here" the man said, pointing to a nearby chair. Yuri sat down while the man walked through the doors, closing shut behind him. A few moments later, the man returned and beckoned Yuri through.

It was a large office building with cushy chairs, couch, desk, plants, and a window that gave a full view of the London eastside. There was a man a few paces away who was busy watering a plant. That man was Mr. Lancaster.

He was a pretty tall man with short black hair, a handsome face that was lightly tanned with a set of gray eyes that seemed to stare right through you.

"Mr. Lancaster" the man said, "Mr. Pavlova is here".

He turned and put down the pitcher "ah, Yuri" he said in a kind voice, speaking perfect Russian "so nice to see you again" he walked forward and gave Yuri a small hug.

"How are you?" he asked "things doing well with hockey? And Ana, she's good?"

"Yes, she is" Yuri replied.

"Good, very good" he said "that'll be all Chuck" that must have been the bald guy Yuri thought "could you please bring in Fiona for me?"

Chuck nodded and walked out of the room.

"So" Mr. Lancaster said, walking over to his desk "I trust your handler has informed you of the mission?"

"Yes sir" Yuri replied. He heard the door open and he turned to see a very beautiful woman in a business suit walk in. she had a very high demure on her, features sharp, green eyes focused, hair tied in a tight bun, and a pair of heels that clacked loudly on the tile floor.

"Ah yes" Mr. Lancaster said "Yuri, I would like you to meet my assistant, Fiona".

"Pleasure to meet you" she said in a commanding voice, shaking Yuri's hand.

"Uh…hi" Yuri replied. She nodded and took her place beside Mr. Lancaster.

"So Yuri" Mr. Lancaster said "I have called you here because this will be your first major assignment that you have received. This officially makes you a part of my organization and as such, there are a few things I think that maybe you should know".

"Like what?" Yuri asked.

Mr. Lancaster took his seat "as you are aware by now, it has been my duty to find people, like you, all over the world. but what is it that we do when we find them you may ask? Its simple" he paused a little "you see Yuri, we are on the verge of a colossal event, one that will forever change our world as we know it. This event I am referring to…is the next stage in human evolution". Yuri didn't know how to respond to this.

"What do you mean sir?" he asked.

"You see Yuri" Mr. Lancaster said "we humans have been through numerous evolutionary changes, beginning from tiny single celled organisms to early primates to Neanderthals all the way to our present selves. These changes have helped shaped us to be the dominate species on the planet. Now, we find ourselves on the verge of the biggest evolutionary change in human history, this being of course our powered friends" he got up from his chair.

"So what your saying is," Yuri said, "that we are…some sort of threat?"

"No, not that Yuri" Mr. Lancaster said, "We want to help these people, to help change our world. You see, we have the power to make this world an even better place. But there are some…who are considered threats". He got up and walked to look out the window.

"you have to understand Yuri" Mr. Lancaster said "nothing like this has ever happened in all our time on this planet. and who would blame them? a world full of super powered humans? that is something you don't here so often"

He paused for a moment "now, this may seem a bit late but I have decided to change your mission a little bit".

"and what might that be?" Yuri asked.

He turned around and faced him "the teenager from Michigan…I want you and your team to kill him".

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika was on top of the world the following morning, just realizing today was the dance and that she'd be going out with Kenji. She was afraid that when she awoke, she'd find out everything from yesterday was all just a dream but it wasn't, it all happened and she couldn't be happier.

Getting out of bed and into her school uniform, she found a note waiting for her on the kitchen counter. Picking it up, the note was from her dad and it read:

_Rika,_

_Had to go in this morning, new client I had to see. Won't be back till later. There's food in the fridge if you want any. Have fun at the dance, Dad._

Grabbing a piece of toast, she headed outside and out into the streets where she met up with Kazumi a few minutes later.

_Hey!_ She said _so, are you excited for the dance tonight?_

_Of course_ Rika replied.

_So, is Kenji picking you up? _She asked.

_Ya, what about you and Toyama?_

_We plan on just meeting at the dance_ Kazumi replied _he couldn't use his car because his mom took it away from him after he tried to sneak out._

_Why was he sneaking out? _She asked. She saw a smile form on Kazumi's mouth and she realized why he tried to sneak out.

_So, wearing anything special? _Rika asked.

Kazumi shrugged _not really, I was just thinking of coming in my school outfit, everyone else is._

_What? _Rika said _that's so boring! can't they think of anything else to where?_

_Hey, we can't help it that teens these days are all lazy._

They soon arrived at the school and as Rika walked through the door, she caught sight of something that struck her as odd. Inside the main office, she saw two people who seemed to be talking busily with the woman at the desk. One was an Indian woman wearing one of those dark red outfits (sari's maybe?), the other was a man with very short black hair and a tall stature who was talking to her. Then the woman walked up and seemed to tell the man to calm down or something and she tried to talk to the desk lady. The man rubbed his head in frustration and turned around so she could see his face clearly.

The man then looked over to Rika and a curious expression crossed his face, as if he had seen her before.

She felt someone tap her on the back and she broke away from her gaze to see it was Kazumi.

_Hey, what are you doing? _She asked _we have to go or we'll miss our class!_

_Ya right, sorry_ Rika said _I just got a little bit distracted, that's all._

without another glance, she began to walk to her locker.

* * *

_London, England _

At first, Yuri thought he had misunderstood him. he thought he just heard Mr. Lancaster ordering him to kill someone, a teenage none the less.

"I-I'm sorry sir" he said, regaining his composure "I think I've heard you-".

"oh no" Mr. Lancaster said "you heard me right. I just said that the teen must be disposed off".

"but sir" Yuri said, panic welling inside him "he's just a kid, I can't do it".

"oh but you will do it Yuri" Mr. Lancaster, walking over to Yuri "you have to understand, I don't want to kill him either. But I have realized he is to dangerous to keep alive, you saw the photos, you know exactly what kind of damage he can do".

"sir please" Yuri said "this can't be the solution, what happened to trying to help these people?"

"and we do help them" he replied softly "but you have to understand Yuri, there are some people that we can't possibly help. If you were given the option to kill a mass murder who says he has changed his ways, would you kill him?" this caught Yuri totally off guard.

"but-but sir" he stammered "this is different".

"no it isn't Yuri" he said, his voice becoming hard "this kid is a threat not just to himself but to everyone around him. if he is to have another one of his outbreaks, it could be catastrophic. Who's to say he won't wipe out an entire city? or a whole state? An entire continent!"

"But I'm sure he doesn't mean it" Yuri said.

"He doesn't mean it yes" Mr. Lancaster replied "but…never mind, I think Fiona hear can do a better job telling you then I. Fiona, would you please?"

"certainly sir" she said, walking over to Yuri "Mr. Pavlova, what Mr. Lancaster is trying to say is this teenagers powers are so out of control, there is no hope in helping him. I should know, as I was the one who told him" Yuri looked at her funny.

"it's my ability Mr. Pavlova" she said "I can detect the presence of others like us. Where they are, what powers they have, when they'll get them, everything about them. after the explosion in Detroit, I detected a very unstable balance inside him, a very dangerous imbalance that if triggered could cause untold damage. I realized that unless we eliminated the threat, everyone was to be in danger. And not just with him but with others as well. there are people like us out there with the same unstable powers as this teen, all of which could cause severe damage not only to themselves but others around them".

"That's basically it" Mr. Lancaster said "in a nut shell". Yuri couldn't believe this, he just couldn't. I won't do it he thought I wouldn't.

"I'm sorry sir" Yuri said, "I won't do it".

A malicious glint appeared in his eyes "oh but you will Yuri" he said in a dangerous voice "you know why you will? Cause you have a debt to pay".

"Debt?" Yuri said "what debt?"

"Don't you realize?" Mr. Lancaster said, "it was I who gave you your powers". Yuri felt his heart skip and a plummeting feeling entered his stomach.

"What?" he said in a shell-shocked voice.

"Didn't you find it a little odd?" he continued "the day after I visited you, just so happened to be the day you discovered your powers? It was I who did that Yuri. Its my ability, to awaken the powers in people. You see Yuri, you weren't suppose to discover your abilities for another twenty years, so I decided to speed things up a bit so you can become an asset for me". He walked back over to his desk as if nothing special had happened, Yuri still trying to function what he just said.

"Believe me Yuri" he said sitting down "I don't want to kill the boy as much as you do but he is just to much of a threat. There was a time when I believed everyone could be saved but I was proven wrong…from the people i worked with, to the people I tried to help, even from my own protégé nonetheless".

"Sir?" Yuri asked.

"Nothing" Mr. Lancaster said "forget what I just said. Listen Yuri, you will go to your team and do your mission. I gave you those powers" Yuri watched as one of his hands began to turn a steely gray color "and I can easily take them away. And I don't think that's what you want now, is it? Is it?" Yuri didn't say anything but just hung his head.

"No sir" he replied in a flat tone.

"Good" he said, his hand turning back to its normal color "you may go now. Chuck will take you to the quarters to meet with the others". Yuri nodded and began to walk to the door.

"Oh and Yuri" Mr. Lancaster called him "the next time I hear you, it better be to report you have finished the job".

"yes sir" Yuri replied before walking out the door.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- Tokyo, Japan _

When the bag was finally taken off of Tyler's head, he found himself strapped to a chair in some sort of interrogation like room with its gray walls, no furniture, and single door. Now what are they going to do? He thought.

His questions were answered a few minutes later when the door opened and someone walked in. it was a middle aged Japanese fellow. He had a chair in his hand, which he placed right in front of Tyler and took a seat.

"Hello Tyler" the man said in a friendly voice "I know right now, you have many questions".

"Yeah, like why the fuck am I hear ass hole?" Tyler roared, all the anger he felt seemingly let out.

"Now now" the man said "I understand you being a bit angry but there's no need for that kind of language. Now, I'm not here to be your enemy Tyler, I am hear to help answer your questions".

Tyler gave him a lethal look "I don't want any answers, I want to be let go!"

"In due time" the man replied "in due time. But right now, we need to have a little talk" the man adjusted in his seat a little.

"Tyler" the man said calmly "the reason you're here is…well, you're special but by now, I assume you know that".

"No shit" Tyler said.

"Your special" the man said, continuing as if he hadn't heard his comment "but sometimes, special isn't always that good. As I'm pretty sure your aware by now that whenever you do use your ability, things…don't always go so well". Tyler was about to throw another comment when he stopped when he heard the man say this.

"We don't want to harm you" he said "its just that, we can't let you out into society with you a threat to people you come in contact with once you change".

Tyler laughed "and you think you and your people can help me?"

"As a matter of fact" the man said "we believe that we can. Tyler, if you just learned how to control your ability, you can become something other then a savage beast".

"Ya? And what is it you can teach me?" Tyler asked.

"For one" the man said, "to control your emotions so that you don't lose control, to control the beast and not let it control you. Basically, we can teach you to have control of your ability".

Tyler wanted nothing more then to just tell the guy off but he couldn't help but think about the mans proposal. It would be great for him to control his power but…could he really trust these people? After all, they were the ones who captured him and treated him like some criminal. How did he know they weren't just setting him up?

Before he could answer, the door opened once again and another Japanese fellow appeared.

"Mr. Ichikawa" the man said, "the board wants to see you".

"All right" Mr. Ichikawa said "I'll be right there. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to leave you now Tyler. Someone will come soon to take you to your room, maybe you think about some of the things I've said. Until next time" then he got out of the chair and walked out of the room.

A few moments later, two more men entered the room and Tyler was once again hooded and led out of the room. When the bag was taken off, he was inside a cell just like the one from the boat expect their were no windows.

Sitting down on the bed, Tyler began to think about home and the others. Heath, Lance, Lana, Alex, everyone. he wondered if they were worrying about him, thinking of where he might have gone.

More then anything, Tyler just wanted to go home. But did he really want to when this…thing was still inside him? if he were to just return, he would still be dangerous, who's to say he wasn't going to kill again?

Control he thought, that Ichikawa guy said he could help me gain control. Maybe there was more to these people then he originally thought.

* * *

_San Francisco, USA _

"A gruesome scene was discovered here in our fair city" said the news man "when local citizen Gary Orback was discovered murdered in his own home. While details are being kept closed lip, the cops have said that there appears to be no sign of force entry and no weapon has been discovered. The body of Mr. Orback has also been noted for a series of other murders that have been happening up and down the entire continent beginning in the lower parts of South America to here in the USA, there are-"

Dahlia watched the news report hungrily as the man kept going. This only confirmed that she and Kara were getting closer.

We must find him, so close now.

Kara was sitting on a bench nearby, staring vacantly into space, a scarf and hat draped over to hide her face, same for Dahlia. It had been a few days now since their escape and the cops were still hot on their trail. They wouldn't be safe until they found him. but where is he now? She knew that he would already be off to someplace else, looking for his next victim.

Tokyo, he's in Tokyo. Must go, must find him.

Dahlia had been hearing the voice since she was thirteen. It was like the mother she always wanted, always helping her make the right decision, pointing her in the right decision, it was like her life line.

Tokyo she thought.

"come on sissy" Dahlia said to her sister, lifting her off the bench "we're leaving now, we're going to Tokyo! Isn't that exciting?"


	17. Convergence

_Dalton Abbot- Tokyo, Japan_

"I'm sorry sir," said the receptionist at the Shinjuku School "but unless you are a relative or have a prior engagement to our students, we cannot allow you to see them".

Dalton and Asheera had only landed in Tokyo a few hours ago and as soon as they had their stuff, they took a cab to Shinjuku. As they got out, Asheera asked the drive where the school was and luckily, he was able to help them out. Once they came to the school, they immediately went to the main office and once again finding a stroke of luck, the woman could speak English.

"But you have to understand!" Dalton said, "This is important!"

"Look sir" she said, "I just can't hand over our students to complete strangers unless they have some sort of arrangement with them. And besides, even if I did allow you to, you don't even know the students name".

"Well, maybe if we had a yearbook" Dalton said hopefully.

"Sir, it can't be done" she said coolly "so will the both of you please leave peacefully or I'll call security".

Dalton was about to say something when Asheera put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a don't do it look.

"Let me handle this" she said, she went over and began to talk to the woman.

Dalton sighed in frustration and turned around. That's when he saw a student looking at him, a girl nonetheless, the same girl he saw in his vision. His eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat. It really is her! It was then another student walked up to her, taping her on the shoulder, and she instantly turned away.

"Wait!" he said, beginning to head for the door.

"Sir, where do you think your going?" the woman at the desk said.

"That's her, that's the student," Dalton said, beginning to open the door.

"Wait sir! I can't let you go out there!"

"What is going on?" Dalton turned around and saw another woman walk into the room.

"Oh, Mrs. Nagasaki" said the woman and then the two began to talk rapidly in Japanese, Dalton wondering what it was they were talking about but if he could take a logical guess, it was most likely about them. When they were done, the woman who had entered gave Dalton a hard look.

"Listen sir" she said "I think it would be best for the two of you if you left, otherwise, I'll be forced to call the police".

Dalton was about to argue but Asheera once again grabbed him by the shoulder, gave him the look, and solemnly followed her out of the office and back to the schools entrance.

"Now what?" Dalton said.

"We just have to rethink our approach" Asheera said "and you swear you don't know when this event might happen?"

"I already told you" Dalton replied "I don't, I'm just hoping we get it right the first time".

"That's a very thought out plan" Asheera said, "look Dalton, we have to think this out. If there is any chance at saving that girl, we have to think of a way to do it without ourselves getting into any more trouble then we're already in".

Dalton rubbed his head in frustration. Asheera was right, they didn't have a plan and they certainly weren't going to get anywhere if they kept going on blind faith. Dalton turned around and noticed something on the school bulletin board, a large colorful sign that took up a considerable space. The sign was all in Japanese, so Dalton couldn't make out what exactly it was, but then he saw the time and date.

"Asheera!" Dalton said, "Look at this!" he walked over the board and pointed out the sign.

"Yes, it's a sign" Asheera said "so what?"

"Well, by the looks of it, this seems to be a big event" Dalton said "but look at the date, its scheduled for eight o'clock tonight! I bet you anything she's going to be there and I bet we can blend in perfectly if there's a lot of people".

"Yes, if" Asheera said "how do we know for certain she will be at this thing or even if this is the place its going to happen? And if so, how will we be able to get in?"

Dalton shrugged "dunno, we just have to try, that's all we can do".

"Seems we're just going on blind faith" Asheera replied.

"Well, so far we've been lucky" Dalton said "maybe our luck will hold".

"Again" Asheera said "if".

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- London, England _

Yuri had a lot to think about on the elevator ride down to the ground floor. I am supposed to kill someone he thought, a teenage no less. He knew he shouldn't do it, he knew that he shouldn't kill this teen, but then again, he had seen the pictures. How did he know that Lancaster was right and something worse might happen, maybe a whole city of people just like he said? No he thought no, there has to be some other way. But when he tried to think of one, he came up empty. He was stuck

The elevator stopped at the second floor and the doors opened to a long, brightly lit hall. Chuck led him to the farthest door and stopped in front of it.

"Hand" he said. Yuri held out his hand cautiously and he grasped it for a few moments before letting go.

"Okay" he said "everyone's inside"

He opened the door and Yuri walked in to find it to be some sort of conference like room with a large circular table and four others sitting down at chairs.

One was a heavily muscled man with a shaved head and grizzly looking face, another was an impish looking fellow with streaks of pink in his hair and a giddy smile plastered on his face, the other was a sour looking one with curiously long fingers and a pointed face, but it was the other who caught Yuri's attention. An imposing looking man with sleeked back blond hair, a sharp face, and piercing gray eyes.

"I'll leave you to it" Chuck said, closing the door.

The imposing man stood up when Chuck left "so, you're the new guy huh?" the man said, his voice oddly mesmerizing.

"Yes" Yuri said.

"Pleasure" the man said, shaking his hand "I see Chuck has done his job already".

Yuri looked at him funny "what do you mean?"

"Well, don't you find it odd that every person you've met so far in this building can speak Russian?" the man asked.

"Uh…" now that Yuri thought of it, it did seem kind of odd that all these people could speak Russian.

"That's Chuck's ability" the man said "he's an omni-linguist, means he can understand any language in the world and he can also pass on his ability to others. He's very useful, you know, to help bridge the language barrier, which is always such a tricky thing. Anyway, enough about that, time to get down to business. Please, have a seat" he indicated to the only empty chair. When he took his seat, the man began to talk.

"Now, for the sake of our protection" the man said "we are all each given names to help disguise our true identity. Whenever you are in the presence of someone from this company that isn't Lancaster or his assistant or his own personal, you will go by your alias, clear?" Yuri nodded.

"Good" the man said "well, my name is Mesmer, captain of this unit and these are your comrades Heavymetal" he pointed to the muscled guy "Mirage" he pointed to the impish guy "and Snare" he pointed to the man with long fingers.

Yuri said hi to them all and the two called Snare and Heavymetal just grunted a hi while Mirage gave him an enthusiastic hello that put Yuri off.

"These may sound a bit comic bookish" Mesmer said "but trust me, it saves a lot of trouble using these names. Now, I have been informed you're a ice manipulator?"

Yuri nodded "well then" Mesmer said "for now on, you will be known as Blizzard. Remember, you're using that name whenever you are in the presence of my company, got that?" Yuri nodded again.

"Very well" Mesmer said, "Now, lets get right down to it. Blizzard, since your new, I'll step you through each of our procedures. So first, I give a briefing on the subject we are to be apprehending, their names, powers, location, and all the necessities. Then, I address whether this is a capture or exterminate mission and after that, we get on the plane and go. Sound simple enough?" again, Yuri nodded.

"All right" Mesmer said, walking around the table where he pulled out a file from his long jacket, folding it open and placing down on the table "our subject is one Clark Leachman, a pyrokinetic. As you all know, he was responsible for the explosion that took place in Downtown Detroit on Friday evening. After that, he fled the seen in panic and is right now labeled as missing back in his hometown. Now, Leachman has been confirmed to be heading into Nashville, as far as we know. Lancaster feels that he is a very dangerous individual and his powers highly unstable, so this will be a destroy mission".

To Yuri's surprise, the men actually seemed to like the idea of killing the kid. "Finally, some real action" Heavymetal said, "no more of that sissy crap we've been doing". Yuri was appalled at this. How could they he say that? Actually being excited about killing a teen?

"Now that everyone's fired up then" Mesmer said "we have to get going before Leachman skips out to another town. Lets move" and then everyone began to get up, Yuri hardly bringing himself to walk.

"Nervous?" Mirage asked him as they walked out of the room.

"A bit" Yuri lied.

"Don't worry" the man replied "once you're out there" a brightly colored butterfly appeared from out of thin air, hovering slightly "all the nerves just float away" and then the insect took off, disappering through the wall Somehow, Yuri doubted that.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Nashville, USA_

"But I just saw them!" Catalina said, "They were just behind us" Clark looked over and even with his fuzzy vision he couldn't see anyone. Clark has to throw away his contacts because it had been nearly two days since they've been in solution and by the time he arrived in Nashville, they became so uncomfortable, he simply did away with them.

"You sure you saw someone?" Clark asked her.

"I am positive" Catalina said "wait, turn here".

"Why?" Clark asked.

"That man up ahead, there's something funny about him" Clark looked to see the man, a sour looking guy with extremely long fingers.

"This way" Catalina said, beginning to turn down an alley.

"Catalina, are you sure you're not being paranoid?" Clark asked.

"Trust me Clark" she replied "when you've been smuggling drugs for three years, you can easily spot danger when you see it" they continued walking down the alley until the exit came into view. All of a sudden, someone appeared from out of nowhere, blocking there exit.

"Clark Leachman?" the man said in a hypnotic voice.

"Who's asking?" Clark asked, realizing that maybe they were in trouble.

"Just a friend" the man replied, "now, we need you to come with us".

"And if I refuse?" Clark shot back.

The man let out a disappointed sigh "then we'll have to do this…the hard way" before he could call for backup, Catalina formed a shield and fired it at the man, sending him off his feet and landing in a heap on the ground.

"Come on!" Catalina said, grabbing Clark's hand. They hurtled over the mans body and began to run.

* * *

"I think they saw us," Mirage said as the woman looked to where they were standing "Snare, they're coming up on you". 

"Mirage, Blizzard" said Mesmer in the earpiece "did he see you?"

"No sir" he replied "but the woman did. Who is she anyway?"

"We're still not sure" Mesmer replied "I have people looking her up right now".

"Boss, they're crossing the street" came Snare's voice.

"They must be on to us" he said, "Okay, Mirage, we might need you to extend your little allusion a bit farther".

"Righto boss" he said and he took off down the intersection.

"Blizzard" Mesmer said, "I need you. I'm intercepting them as we speak, watch out for me in case they try something".

"Okay" Yuri said. Trusting that he was still invisible, he held out his hand and shout out a beam of ice, forming a slopping bridge that led up to the building where the two were heading. He slid up the bridge, and then made it evaporate into thin air. He walked over to the side of the building and looked down. Sure enough, Mesmer had intercepted them.

This still doesn't seem right he thought. As he looked down, everything seemed to be going as normal. All of a sudden, an opaque wall appeared between the three and it shot right at Mesmer, lifting him off his feet. The two then began to run for it.

"Mirage, call for backup now!" he heard him say a few seconds later "that woman is one of us! A shield projector it seems. Heavymetal, Snare, get to it now! Blizzard, try and stop them!"

Quickly getting up, Yuri dashed to the other side of the building roof, the two figures running below. He fired a beam at ice of them but then another opaque shield appeared over them, blocking his attack.

And yet, a part of him was happy that his attack didn't hit them.

He looked over to see Heavymetal making his way down an opposite street with Snare coming up from the south. The two obviously saw one of them and began to double their effort and making a sharp turn into a store.

As he neared the store, Yuri saw one of Heavymetal's arms morph into a huge hammer like appendage. Without missing a beat, he swung at the store, causing a huge crunching sound and a large chunk of the store blew right open. Screams issued from inside the store and the sound of objects being broken and splintered could be heard. Yuri looked over and saw Snare nearing the store as well.

"Snare!" he heard Heavymetal say "they're coming out the back, intercept them!"

"Got it" came his reply. Yuri looked over and saw as five long, whip-like objects erupt from the tips of Snare's long fingers. They latched onto the building and using it like a catapult; he was flung high into the air.

"What are you doing Blizzard?" came Snare's voice as he passed near him "get going!"

"Sorry" Yuri said "I'm on it". As he ran over, prepared to head down the building, he saw the two people come running out from the store's back entrance, with Snare right over them. Without hesitation, he sent out fiver more whip-like objects from his free hand.

Once again, the opaque bubble appeared, stopping the whips from getting any closer but then another blast issued from the store, sending debris flying everywhere, knocking the two right into the ground, the shield disappearing.

But the explosion caused a lot of dust to issue into the air, creating a smog like cloud where the two people and Snare should be. Yuri quickly formed another bridge to take him to the ground, sliding down into the smog.

However, as he entered, he saw the outlines of two people running away, growing fainter until they disappeared completely. Soon, the dust settled and Yuri saw Snare and Heavymetal looking around in confusion.

"Where did they go?" Heavymetal said.

"Fools!" Yuri heard Mesmer say, "they're heading down Fifth Street, get a move on!"

"Right" the two said, Heavymetal taking off while Snare issued another round of whips and began to swing out of sight in a Spider-man like fashion. However, Yuri stood in his spot, his legs seemingly given out on him.

Turning around, he saw through the gap in the wall, the store was a mess. Various objects laid strewn across the floor, shelves had been reduced to splinters, and to Yuri's horror, he was able to see a human hand amidst the rubble and the images of injured people limping outside, calling for help.

What am I doing? He thought.

"Blizzard!" Mesmer yelled, "What do you think you're doing? Get over here right now! Blizzard? Blizzard? BLIZZARD!" but Mesmer's screams were practically useless at this point, considering the fact that Yuri's earpiece now laid discarded on the ground.

* * *

"Did we lose them?" Clark asked Catalina as they began to run down Fifth Street. They had barely managed to escape from that store after that brute came barreling in, knocking things aside with his huge hammer-like appendage. Somehow, they were able to get out of the store, escape that one guy with the whips who came from out of nowhere, and now found themselves trying to get as far away as possible. 

Clark's arm hurt really badly, after it was hit by a flying wood piece and numerous cuts were etched onto his face from where all the rubble had hit. Catalina wasn't as injured but she did have a large slash on her cheek, blood running down her face and neck.

"I'm not sure," she said as they made a sharp turn down a narrow alley "who are these people?"

"Wish I knew myself" Clark replied. But on the contrary, he did have an idea of why though. It must be about Detroit he thought, he knew it was only a matter of time before they found out and now they've sent these people to get him. Not only that but super powered people! did that mean people knew about him and Catalina? was it another goverment conspiracy?

All of a sudden, the long fingered man landed in front of them, both skidding to a halt but knowing it was already to late. The man sent out more of the long, whip-lick tendrils at them, ensnaring both Clark and Catalina. Clark desperately tried to free himself but the harder he tried, the man would tighten his grip, the whips digging deeper into his skin.

Clark heard loud, thudding footsteps from behind them. He looked over and saw the huge man with the hammer appendage running across the street towards them. Then Clark saw in horror as his other arm began to morph into a long, sword like object.

"Don't worry" the man yelled, "this will only hurt for a second".

As he neared, Catalina tried to form another shield but the long fingered man saw this and he smashed her into the alley wall. She let out a screech of pain and the shield disappeared.

Clark began to panic as he saw the man enter the alley. Looking around, he saw a car began to pass by on the street and seizing his only opportunity, he concentrated for a fire to start near the gas tank.

His eyes flared up, the familiar rush erupted through him, and the passing car exploded, the sheer force sending the muscled man flying across the alley and the long fingered man was knocked of his feet from the blast. Clark felt the fire's heat on his face and saw as the ropes unraveled and he felt to the ground.

Catching his breath, he ran over to Catalina.

"Are you okay?" he said.

Blood was oozing from her head, her hair becoming wet and letting of a slight red tint "my head hurts" she said as she got up on wobbly legs, Clark helping her up.

"Come on, we have to go before they get up!" Clark yelled. This seemed to jog her reflexes and they began to half run, half stumble down the alley.

They decided to duck into a side door in the alley. They entered into the back of some sort of hardware store but by the looks of it, people were quickly running outside to see what the explosion was.

Clark spotted a stairwell entrance, which turned out to be open. Seeing as a chance to rest, they quickly climbed the stairs, Catalina still slung over him as she tried to regain her composure. Reaching the top, he flung the door open and found themselves in what looked like a storage room. He placed Catalina gently on one of the boxes.

"You sure you're all right?" Clark asked.

"I'm okay," she said "its just a headache, honest. Don't worry," she said seeing the look on his face "I'm all righ-Clark! Behind you!"

Taken by surprise, Clark whipped around and saw the door slam shut on them, then a thick sheet of ice began to spread across the door until they were sealed in. a man then stepped from out of the shadows.

"Please, don't be frightened" he said, "I'm not here to hurt you".

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika was nervously drumming her fingers on the counter. Any minute now, Kenji would be arriving and despite being really excited, she just couldn't help but feel this knot of adhesiveness. So many things could go wrong tonight, things that would make Rika look like a fool. No, stop it! She thought if you keep thinking about it, it would only get worse.

She saw the counter light begin to blink, meaning someone was at the door. She got off the stool, tried to straighten out her already straightened hair and ruffled her skirt, even though nothing was wrong with it and quickly ran to the door. She took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened.

Kenji was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark red shirt, his hair spiked up a little and he was smiling. Now Rika felt like a fool, showing up still in her school clothes.

_Ready?_ He signed.

She nodded vigorously and shut the door behind her. They took the elevator down, Rika waved by to the old man, and headed outsider where a solid white car was parked at the entrance, obviously being Kenji's.

Rika climbed in, realizing now her heart was pumping really fast and her hands were sweating a little. She wiped them on her skirt and took another deep breath as Kenji got in.

_You okay? _He asked.

_Its nothing_ she said _just a little warm that's all._ He smiled and putting the keys in the ignition, started up the car and began to pull out into the Tokyo traffic.

From out of the shadows nearby, a tall figure seemingly materialized out of nowhere. He watched as the car disappeared into the traffic. He began to walk ominously down the street, his eyes growing livid. A dance he thought, this wasn't going to be easy.

But that's okay, he could wait. It would only be a matter of time before the little lamb strayed from the pack and when that happened, he would strike.

* * *

**Authors note: hey everyone. i just realized that as i was looking over my previous chapters, i sorta made a tiny error. its seems that i had somehow changed the companies name from Intex to Itex. in case you all had realized this, my bad but anyway, i don't feel like correcting all that work, so the company will remain as Itex. just wanted to address that issue. anyway, keep reviewing.**


	18. Damsel in Distress: Pt 1

_Rika Ichikawa- Tokyo, Japan_

Rika kept on nervously kneading at her skirt as they drove through the Tokyo streets. She had never felt so uncomfertable in her life. If she could describe the feeling, it would probally be most like watching a sex scene in a movie with both your parents in the room. Part of her just wanted it to stop but another part of her did not want it to. After all, it was better to feel awkward with Kenji then to not be with him at all, right?

After a few moments, they came to a stoplight and Kenji tapped her on the shoulder.

_Kazumi going to be there? _He asked.

_Yeah _Rika replied _she's coming with Toyama, her boyfriend._

_Cool_ Kenji then went back to the wheel where the light turned green again.

She felt her tensions rise, her hands sweating harder. Okay, calm down Rika she thought, your doing great. You haven't made a fool of yourself...well not yet anyway. No! don't think like that! everything is fine and you aren't even at the dance yet, so just calm down.

A few more minutes of driving and they pulled up to the school where already a bunch of people were appearing. Rika got out, the cool air feeling great on her warm head, praying that she wasn't blushing. She walked over to Kenji and they began to walk to the doors.

They walked down only a few halls before they came to the gym, where the dance was being held. Walking in, Rika saw a bunch of tables lined up with food, drinks, and chairs nearby. Bright red bulbs gave the room a dark red color and streamers where hung from the ceiling. She could even tell that music was playing by the looks of the radio nearby but she thought that seemed rather pointless considering most people here couldn't hear it anyway. But then again, teachers had to keep themselves occupied as well.

After a few minutes, she spotted Kazumi near one of the tables, who was waving at them. They headed over just as Toyama appeared with drinks in his hands.

_Aw thanks _Kazumi said as she took the cups and gave him a kiss on the cheek _hi Kenji, you remember me right?_

_Of course_ Kenji replied.

_Oh and this is Toyama, Toyama, this is Kenji, Rika's date._

_Hey man_ Toyama said, shaking his hand. Toyama was a bit pudgy with very short black hair and a round face, which gave him the look of an overgrown teddy bear, except minus the personality.

_So where are the others? _Rika asked.

_Oh, Hitomi's already on the dance floor_ Kazumi said _as for Reiko and the others, they're just all over the place._

_Oh okay _she replied. She felt another tap on her shoulder and looked over to Kenji.

_You want to dance? _He asked.

When he said that, Rika thought her insides would burst with anxiety and excitement.

_Uh okay_ she replied lazily _but I'm not that good of a dancer._

_Don't worry, its easy _Kenji said, taking her hand and leading her out to the floor _just follow my lead and you'll be fine._

Rika assumed that this must have been a slow song, cause Kenji held her like she saw ballroom people do and begin to slowly dance across the floor. Needless to say, Rika was not that good, stepping on Kenji's foot most of the time and not really finding her rhythm considering the music was mute to her. However, as time went on, Rika slowly found herself getting the hang of it until she started to step less on Kenji's foot and more on actually looking up at him and putting on a smile. To makes things better, he smiled back as well.

Someone pinch me she thought, feeling as though fireworks were being blasted off behind her.

Rika wasn't sure how long they danced on the floor but she really didn't care, because all that mattered right now was her and Kenji, dancing together. And for the first time, she felt like a normal girl. Not the deaf girl, not the mom died of cancer girl, even not the girl who can turn all ghostly and enter peoples bodies girl. Instead, she was Rika Ichikawa. Just Rika Ichikawa.

On the outskirts of the dance floor and the tables, a man stood in the shadows. His black eyes focused on Rika as she danced with Kenji. He was waiting, waiting for when she leave. It would be at that moment he would strike.

* * *

_Catalina Portillo- Nashville, Tennessee _

As Clark set her down, Catalina began to feel a lot better. Now that she was stable, her eyes began to focus more and her head finally stopped spinning.

"I'm okay," she said "its just a headache, honest. Don't worry" but looking at his face, Catalina could see he still looked concerned.

"I'm all righ-" she stopped in mid-sentence when she saw from over Clark's shoulder someone behind the door "Clark! Behind you!"

But it was too late. Before they could react, the door slammed shut and a thick sheet of ice began to cover it until they were trapped. As the man stepped into the light, Catalina was able to get a good look at him. He was a muscular man who seemed no taller then she was, maybe 5'4 at the most. His light brown hair was dyed blonde at the tips and from his facial features he seemed Russian.

"Please, don't be frightened" he said in a thick accent "I'm not here to hurt you".

Catalina tried to produce another force field but her mind felt numb and nothing appeared. As she looked at him, she suddenly recognized his face.

"You" she said "I saw you, walking behind us! Your one of them!"

"No please, don't" the man continued, "I don't want to harm you".

"Why should we believe you?" Clark said, taking a step back to shield her "in the past twenty minutes, you and your companions have tried to kill us, nearly succeeding I should say".

"I know but-," the man continued but Clark cut him off.

"And if I remember correctly, you tried to freeze both of us out on the street".

"Yes, I know but listen-"

"So why in the hell should we trust you?" Clark hissed.

The man was silent, his face solemn. From what Catalina could see, the man appeared to be ashamed, his eyes filled with guilt. In that moment, she believed that he was telling the truth

"Clark" she said, "I don't think he's lying".

He looked at Catalina in disbelief "you can't be serious?"

"I am Clark," she said "besides, if he did want to kill us, don't you think he would have done that already?" he looked like he was about to argue but realizing her reasoning, he didn't say anything.

"Fine" he said "we'll trust you for now". The man nodded in approval. Catalina heard a commotion from downstairs and she had a pretty clear idea of who was down there.

"Look" the man, said "I will tell you everything but right now, we have to get out of here before they find us".

Clark turned to Catalina "you think you can walk on your own?"

Catalina got up, her eyes blurring a bit but a few moments later, she felt better again.

"Ya, I think I can" she replied.

The man raised his hand and fired a thick chunk of ice at a wall, which exploded on impact, creating a large hole in the wall.

"Come on" he said.

The two raced over to the hole, Catalina wondering what they were going to do considering they were two stories up.

"Hold on to me" the man said. Catalina gave Clark a reassuring look and they clasped the man's hands. He pulled them close and angling his hands slightly, fired a beam of ice at the floor and took off running with Catalina and Clark in tow.

The three of them began surfing through the air on the thick ice sheet, the sensation feeling both exhilarating and terrifying. every time they took a dip, Catalina thought she would fall off, just waiting for her legs to trip up, but lucky for her and Clark, the man had them in a tight grip and seemed to know what he was doing.

They went into a sudden dip to the ground and she felt the man's grip tighten. She gave a slight squeal, shutting her eyes, praying this went right. When they reached the ground, Catalina felt a jarring sensation in her legs as they hit the pavement, tumbling slightly from the impact.

"Whoa" she heard Clark say under his breath.

"You all right?" the man asked them. Clark nodded, as did Catalina.

"We better hurry" he said, "They were bound to have seen that. Right now, we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible, starting with getting out of this city".

"Wait" Clark said, "What exactly is your name?"

"Yuri" he said hastily "now come on, lets go!"

"But wait-" Clark began.

"No time!" Yuri said, "We have to go, now!"

Catalina put her hand on Clark's shoulder "later" she said, "lets just go".

Clark opened his mouth in protest but realizing he wasn't going to get answers, he shut his mouth and nodded. With that said and done, they took off down the alley.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Tokyo, Japan _

Dalton pulled up into the school parking lot and they both got out. Walking to the entrance, they saw a whole lot of people were still heading through the front entrance, mostly students.

"What kind of event you think this is?" Dalton asked.

It only took Asheera a quick scan of the area to notice the vast amount of couples and large group of teens to naturally assume it was a dance.

"Looks like a dance" Asheera said.

"I don't see her anywhere" Dalton said.

"She must be inside" she said "but we have to be careful. If we run into that principle again, we run a high chance of her recognizing us after that little stint in her office".

"I said I was sorry" he replied.

"Dosen't matter now" she said as they climbed the steps.

"Okay" Dalton said, getting over his little guilt trip "now, if I were a dance I be in a gym. And if I were a gym, where would I be?"

"Come on, lets just follow these kids, they'll take us there".

They dropped a safe distance behind a group of teens heading into the school. It only took them a few minutes before they heard music drifting towards them and the sight of the gym doors coming into view.

"It's a bit odd they have music at a deaf school dance" Asheera said half to herself "okay, I think its best if we split up and look for her. Make sure that we can at least see each other, we don't want to risk something happening".

"That sounds good" Dalton said "and keep a look out for anyone fishy".

Asheera kept mainly to the outskirts of the dance, keeping well to the shadows. After all, it would seem a bit odd for a 49-year-old Indian woman being at a deaf Japanese school dance. She saw Dalton on the other side of the gym floor, still searching the faces of students while keeping his distance. Asheera still did not know which girl she was looking for. The only information Dalton gave her was she was in her school uniform and looking around, it seemed nearly every girl had shown up in her school uniform. This was going to be a problem.

She turned her head again to check for Dalton and she collided right into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry" she said quickly "are you-" then she stopped when she looked at the person she had run into. Though she couldn't make out his shadowed face, she did catch a glimpse of the eyes. Bright red veins crisscrossed along the eye, giving them a bulging, demonic look, and the iris had somehow turned into a deep blood red color. The person violently shoved her aside and began to make his way across the room.

It didn't take Asheera time to think over what had happen, for she already knew that something was very, very wrong.

She quickly made her way over to Dalton, not even caring about being seen or playing it cautious anymore.

"Dalton!" she said.

He turned to her "there you are! I just spotted her, she's dancing with someone," he asked.

"Wait Dalton, there's something really important I have to tell you" Asheera said.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"Look" she said, pointing to where the man now was "you see that man in the corner?"

"Where? I don't see anyone"

"There, right there, he's hidden slightly in the shadows"

Dalton squinted his eyes to where she was pointing, "you mean him?" he asked.

"Yes him. Anyway, I bumped into him not two seconds ago and I already knew something was wrong with him. It was his eyes Dalton, they were not normal, they were…" she tried to think of the best word to describe them, only coming up with one plain out definiton "evil".

This seemed to reel him in "you mean he could be that man? The one from the vision?"

"Its very possible" she said, "in the vision, you didn't happen to get a look at his eyes?"

"No I wasn't" he replied.

"Well, either way, I think he might be that man. We have to act right now" she said, "where did you say she was?"

"She was dancing with some guy, out…wait, where did she go?"

"She's not there?" Asheera asked, looking out to the dance floor, where only a few people remained.

"She was right there" Dalton said, looking around "dammit, don't tell me we lost her? Where did she-"

"Dalton" Asheera cut him off.

"What is it?"

"The man, he's gone too".

Both looked at each other and realized what was happening. Without a word, they both took off for the doors. It had now become a race to reach this girl now, before that man found her first.

* * *

The night couldn't have gone any better. Not only did Rika get to dance with Kenji but it was the most fun she had in a long time. Sure, all they really did was sit around at the table and talk but the idea of her being with Kenji and being at a real dance seemed to just amplify everything ten fold. Now the only thing she wondered was could this night get any better? 

She wasn't exactly sure how long they stayed but after a good while, they decided to leave in a bit and head over to the Dot to get some food.

Rika came back after another dance with Kenji, the others just beginning to pack up.

_How many times is that now? _Kazumi asked her.

_Not nearly enough_ Rika replied _we leaving soon?_

_Yeah, just about. We're still waiting for Hitomi to appear. I wonder where she went? I haven't seen since she left with that guy. Oh well, she can find her own way back. Ready?_

_Oh wait _Rika signed _I need to go to the bathroom before we leave. I've been holding it in all night and if i don't go soon, I'll wet myselft_

_Oh good, me too _Kazumi signed _And god knows we can't be having you wet yourself right in front of Kenji_ she made a very over dramatic wave when she got to his name

_Shut up! _she shot back. Afterword, she told Kenji where she would be and followed Kazumi out of the double doors back into the halls. After being in the brightly lit area of the gym, it took Rika back a little to realize how dark the hallway was.

_That's odd_ Rika signed _was it this dark when we came in?_

_Its just from being in the gym to long_ Kazumi replied _now come on, your not the only one who has to go real bad._

They hurried down the hall, took a right and a left, and found one of the bathrooms. When Rika had done her business, she walked out of the stall and began to wash her hands.

_I swear _Kazumi signed as she walked out _I drank to much punch this evening._

_What, it wasn't like it had alcohol or anything _Rika replied.

_Not at first but somewhere during the evening, someone put something in it. i already feel a bit tipsy._

Rika chuckled a little, turning off the faucet and ripping off a paper towel.

_So I see you and Kenji had a good time out there_ Kazumi signed.

_So what? _She asked.

_Well, did you at least kiss him?_ This hit Rika like a brick to the head.

_Shit! I didn't!_ She exclaimed _I completely forgot, I mean, should I? Oh, he probably thinks I-_

_Hey hey, easy_ Kazumi signed _the night is not over yet. You have plenty of time for the two of you to swap saliva with one another._

_Gross!_ Rika exclaimed.

_Hey, its what it's called_ she signed _and besides, you've said a lot worse stuff then that._

_Oh ya?_ Rika asked as they walked out _like what?_

_Loads of things_ Kazumi exclaimed _why I remember last week-_

As Kazumi began to tell her, Rika noticed that someone had been waiting outside the door, a man by the look of it. She thought that was a bit odd, considering the boys bathroom was a little ways down the hall from where they were.

And as they kept walking, she felt this creepy sensation crawl up her back. Looking over, she saw the man was now following them.

She tapped Kazumi on the shoulder. _What?_ She asked.

_There's a man following us_ Rika signed.

_What?_

_There's a man, right behind us, I think he's following us._ Kazumi glanced briefly over her shoulder.

_You sure? I mean, he could be making his way to the gym like we are_ she signed.

_I don't know_ Rika replied _I saw him waiting outside of the bathroom._

_Maybe he was waiting for a student or something._

_Are you stupid? we were the only two in there!_

_Seriously? _Kazumi looked over again _what do you think he wants?_

_I'm not sure but I think it would be best if we got back to the gym._

They began to walk a little bit faster but not a whole lot as to attract the guy's attention.

_He still there?_ Kazumi asked. Rika looked over and saw he was still there, still walking a few feet behind him.

_Wait, this is ridiculous_ Kazumi said, stopping.

_What are you doing?_ Rika exclaimed.

_What's it look like? I'm going to tell this guy off._

_You really think that's such a smart idea?_

_Oh come on Rika, its probably just some perv. Trust me, we turn around and face him, he'll get scared and go run of with his tail between his legs._ before Rika could object, Kazumi had turned around and began to walk to the man, who had stopped.

_Hey! What's your-_ whatever she was going to say next she never got the chance. All of a sudden, the man flicked out his arm and Kazumi went flying through the air, smashing right into a glass window that shattered on impact.

Rika screamed and covered her mouth, as Kazumi now lay slumped on the floor, broken glass all around her and blood seeping from her head. All the lights in the dimmed hallway seemed to go out at once and from the darkness, she could see two glowing red eyes staring right at her. She immediately turned around and ran for it but the hallway doors suddenly slammed shut on her.

She pushed on the lever but the door wouldn't budge, as if it had been sealed shut. She began to pound at it, screaming for help.

Turning around, she saw the man was now heading towards her, still in that ominous walk. Realizing she wasn't going to get out this way, she ran down the other hall, screaming for help.

The man gave a sinister smile. Now the hunt will begin.


	19. Damsel in Distress: Pt 2

_Tyler Morgan- Tokyo, Japan_

Tyler wasn't sure how long he spent in that cell. It could have been a week, a month, a year, maybe it had only been a day. What he did know was, the wait seemed to be closing in on him. Ever since his talk with that Ichikawa guy, Tyler had virtually been forgotten about. The only time he had any real human interaction was when someone would come and slip food from a flap in the door.

He wondered what it was they were doing. They were probably out there right now, deciding on what to do with him. The man had told him they could give him control but would they actually stick to their word? Or was this all just apart of their scheme?

During his time in the cell, he kept thinking back to the others, mainly Alex. He wondered if maybe they got to her too, considering she knew about his ability. He hoped she was all right, he hoped they hadn't gotten to her.

Whenever Tyler thought of those moments with Alex and the others, he would feel even more alone then he already was.

Finally, they came for him.

The sound of the door opening awoke Tyler from his sleep. Blinking slightly from the light, he saw the outline of two men standing at the doorway.

"Come on" one said "time to get up".

"Where am I going?" Tyler asked, lifting himself off the bed.

"Someplace else" the other replied "hands out".

Tyler lifted his hands and once again, the odd handcuffs were linked onto him and he immediately felt the effects. One of the men grabbed him, lifted him up over his shoulder, and began to walk. This time, they didn't bother with a blindfold, which Tyler found a bit odd.

They led him down the hall to an elevator, which brought them up to a parking lot where only two solid black vans were parked. The man hauled him into the back seat, which was fenced off from the front. They took of the handcuffs and placed on a similar pair, only this time one attached to his wrist and the other, which was a normal handcuff, was locked to the seats side. Once he was strapped in, they shut the door, got into the front, pressed the opener, and drove out into the city.

For hours, they drove through the Tokyo traffic, Tyler barely acknowledging all the sights he was seeing. As they kept on driving, he noticed the buildings were beginning to thin, slowly at first but soon more and more houses began to appear and the buildings became smaller and fewer. It was obvious they were taking him out of the city but to where? He was not sure.

"Where are we going?" Tyler asked.

"Don't ask questions," one of them said.

Seemed like Tyler wasn't going to get an answer. They drove for another hour or so until they had left the city behind completely and were now driving through Japan countryside. Even at this dire state, Tyler couldn't help but notice how beautiful the scenery was.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they pulled of the main road and came up upon a squat gray building with a small parking lot. No other buildings could be seen.

"Where are we?" Tyler asked.

The men did not respond. Instead, Tyler watched as one of them opened the glove box and pulled out a small vial and a needle.

"What is that for?" Tyler asked, his voice rising a bit.

"This might sting a little," the man said "but do not worry, it will be over soon".

"What will be over? What are you doing?" the men still did not respond. Then one of them got out of the car and came over to Tyler's side, opening the door, the needle now full to the brim with a clear white liquid.

As he began to climb in, Tyler tried to move but he was immobilized. There was no escape; this was the end of him.

Then a huge rock suddenly erupted from the ground, sending the unsuspecting man flying into the air. Before the other could react, Tyler felt a tremendous force hit the car, the sound of grinding metal and shattering glass filling his ears. He flailed stupidly and landed at an awkward position, his arm feeling like it might pop.

He felt someone lift him up and heard a clinking noise, then the handcuff fell off him and he felt a little bit of feeling return to his body. The person shifted him a little and he came face to face with his rescuer.

He was an extremely handsome guy with short black hair and oddly colored eyes that he wasn't sure were blue or green.

"You all right there?" he asked in a slightly high voice.

"Ya, I'm okay" Tyler said, "Who are you?"

"What does it look like?" he said, "I'm your rescuer. Can you walk at all?"

"Still a bit numb" Tyler replied, limited to moving his fingers and toes.

"No matter" the man said, hauling Tyler over his shoulder "I can do with the exercise" he lifted Tyler out of the truck, which now had a large rock embedded in the drivers side, blood splattered on the window.

"Oh good Richard" Tyler looked over to see a woman with long flaming hair running up to them "you got him".

"Better hurry though" the man named Richard said "its only a matter of time before they find out".

"Ya, that would be best" the woman said "hey Bane!" she called "start her up will ya?" Tyler heard an engine suddenly whirl to life and bright lights illuminated the lot. When Tyler was able to open his eyes, he saw it was a large truck, which appeared slightly altered.

"Come on!" yelled a disgruntled voice "we don't wanna be late now"

"Right" the red haired girl said "come on Richard, new guest, we're taking off". Richard hauled Tyler into the back seat, where now he could move his whole body but very sluggishly.

"Don't worry buddy," Richard said "we're gonna take ya someplace safe. But first, we have one more stop to make" before Tyler could ask any questions, Richard shut the door on him, got into one of the middle seats with the red head up front.

"Hit it Bane" she said.

Tyler heard the roar of the engine and they took off at with such speed, he slammed right into the seat. Great he thought out of one predicament and into another.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa _

Rika ran down the now dark halls, screaming for anyone to help her. He looked over her shoulder, the man still walking towards her, seemingly taking his time.

The hallway doors slammed shut on Rika again, once more they seemed to have been locked shut. She ran back and took a left down another hall; only to have the hallway doors slam shut on her again, trapping her for good.

She banged on the door, praying that someone would come. Looking over, the man was getting closer. Frantically searching, she spotted a classroom door, racing to it and hoping it was open. Luckily, it was and she flung herself in, slamming the door shut.

She had run into one of the science rooms, three islands dotting the classroom each with a gas valve and sink. She ran across to the adjoining room, which was a storage area for the science stuff. Once inside, she shut the door and quickly darted into one of the cabinets, getting down into a kneeling position so she could fit in the bottom drawer and quickly shutting it.

She was panting heavily, her mind racing, her face sweaty, and the image of Kazumi's limp body still fresh in her mind. She just prayed the others had noticed her absence by now and were hopefully looking for her now. But why was this man after her? Why was he so intent on trying to kill her?

A small crack in the cabinet allowed her to look out, just in time to see the man walking through the door. She instantly went still, daring not to breath and watching as he slowly walked across the room, pausing slightly, then resuming, then pausing again. Rika dared not to breath for fear he may hear her. He began to walk again but this time seemingly coming nearer. She shut her eyes, biting down on her lip so hard she felt blood on her lips. Then she opened her eyes and he was gone

Nothing happened for the longest time, Rika beginning to wonder if maybe he had gone. All of a sudden, a tremendous force rocked the cabinet and she the doors were smashed to bits, splintered wood falling down on her.

Rika screamed and tried to crawl away but the man grabbed her by the hair, yanking her of the floor, and throwing her across the table, sending various objects crashing to the floor and a sharp pain prickling down her body as glass cut through her skin.

She fell to floor, landing awkwardly on her shoulder, sending a fresh wave of pain down her body. Amongst the various shattered objects, she spotted a sharp knife. Looking over, she saw the man nearing her. She quickly grabbed the knife and spun around, stabbing him right in the leg.

He doubled over in pain, grasping his leg as blood began to seep from the puncture wound. Rika then kicked him in the kneecap, causing him to fall over, giving her the chance to get up and run out the other door into the adjoining science room and out the door.

Meanwhile, the man got up and pulled the knife from his leg, casting it aside, his blood red eyes livid. Playtime was now over.

* * *

_Dalton Abbot _

Dalton and Asheera arrived at the exact moment when the doors slammed shut. They were at the end of the hall when they heard it happen, while the sounds of the girls screaming could be heard from beyond. They ran as fast as they could but before long, the screaming began to get softer and softer, meaning she was now on the run.

"We have to go around," Dalton said.

"But how do we know that we won't run into him?" Asheera said.

"We have to risk it" he said, "that girl is in trouble! Now we have to hurry before one of my visions really do come true".

They turned around and headed down the other hall, turning a right into a hall that bordered a large, square grassy courtyard, surrounded on all sides by the school and large windows that opened out for a clear view of the entire place. Dalton also noticed the statue in the middle of the courtyard, which seemed to be some sort of samurai.

"We must have gone the wrong way" Asheera said, "I don't see or hear anything".

"She had to have come down in" Dalton said "we passed no other halls on the way!"

"We should double back, see if we missed anything" she said "perhaps-" before she could finish; they heard a loud explosion and a girl screaming.

"That's her!" Dalton exclaimed, tearing down the hall to where the noise came from. He reached the door that seemed to lead to where it came from only to have it flung open and a terrified girl run into him, screaming and beating at him.

"Wait! Wait!" Dalton said grabbing her arms "its all right! I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Dalton run!" he heard Asheera cry. Looking over, he saw the shadow outline of a man walking towards them.

"Come on!" he yelled, grabbing the still flailing girl by the arms and forcing her to run. As they ran away, the lockers on the walls began to tear off the wall and fling themselves at the feeling pair, one after the other in a domino effect. All around, Dalton heard the sound of crunching metal, shattering glass, and the sounds of the girl's screams.

"Lets get out of here!" Asheera exclaimed when they reached her but as they began to move down the hall, all of the hallway doors began to slam shut on them with resounding force until they found themselves trapped in the four hallways with the freakishly powerful stranger right behind them.

"Other way! Other way! Keep moving!" Dalton yelled. They ran down the opposite length, only to have the lockers down the hall rip of and thrown at them. Dalton tried to duck but one of them hit him right in the side, lifting both him and the girl off their feet, through the window, and landing right into courtyard.

Dalton's side felt like it was on fire, his arm throbbing with pain, a stabbing pain down his side, and his head swimming.

"Dalton!" Asheera yelled running towards him "are you all right?"

"Quick" he gasped as he watched the man climb over the wall "run".

"No! I cant-"

"Asheera, go!" he yelled. She gave him a pleading look but did as she was told. She bent down and tried to lift up the girl, who seemed barely conscious, and began to half run, half limp away in a desperate attempt.

Dalton felt a vice-like grip close around his neck and he was hauled to his feet, staring into the manic, blood red eyes. He was gasping for breath as the grip became tighter around his throat and he tried to futilely to break the mans grip, which only seemed to make it worse.

"Fool" he heard the man say in a dark, gravelly voice. He then raised his free hand and pointed at Dalton's head.

The pain was unbearable, feeling as though his brain may explode. He began to scream as the pain got worse and worse, feeling blood beginning to trickle down his nose.

Before he could do anything else, something stabbed the man right through the chest and he instantly let go of Dalton and began to scream in pain.

Dalton felt nauseas, like he was going to throw up, his vision hazy and bloodied. Whipping his eyes, he was able to clearly see the long sword that protruded from the mans upper chest.

Wondering slightly where this sword came from, he looked over to see Asheera standing near the statue…well, where the statue should have been anyway. It was then Dalton saw the samurai now walking towards the man, his red armor gleaming in the moonlight, his helmet obscuring the face in shadow.

It was only a few moments later for Dalton to realize what had just happened. Asheera must have brought the statue to life!

As the newly resurrected samurai drew nearer to the man, he unsheathed a second sword attached to his side, ready for the kill. When he was near, he suddenly dashed forward, sword raised, battle cry ringing in the air, and then he brought his sword down in one clean swoop.

The man grabbed the sword at the last moment, held tightly now in his hand, the samurai straining to break the grip. The man's hand coiled into a fist, then he gave a furious roar and he swung, colliding directly into the samurai's stomach, causing him to shatter to pieces.

Dalton looked in horror as their protector now laid as rubble on the floor, their last defense against him.

He watched as the man began to slightly rise up in the air, the wind beginning to pick up until a furious howl filled the courtyard, the grass rippling in the gale. Ribbons of wind began to wrap themselves around the man, wrapping around his waist, arms, and legs until it seemed like mini tornadoes were coiled around his body.

The man brought in his arms and legs until he was curled into a ball, the wind now wrapping around him in a sort of cocoon. Then, he suddenly flung out his arms and legs, let out a terrible wail, and sending out a furious gust of wind that sent Asheera off her feet and slamming right into the ground, while Dalton was flung off the ground and collided head first into the wall.

He dropped to the ground like a rag doll, his head throbbing his pain, feeling like it might split open. It was at that moment that Dalton's vision began to blur, a sickening wave of nausea rocking his body. He was having another vision.

He was in the middle of a street. It was night out, the sky a velvety black twinkled with stars. Dalton looked around, wondering where he was, and then he spotted a familiar looking building in the distance. The Empire State Building. He was in New York. It was then he noticed people were running and screaming, everything seemingly slowed down as people rushed by in discolored blurs.

An unnatural wind brushed against his face, an oddly warm wind and a bright red light walking towards him. A red aura like orb pulsated around the light, fiery flares flashing across the orb and shooting off from the orb. It reminded Dalton of the sun. As it drew nearer, Dalton noticed that everything that came in contact with the orb seemed to catch on fire, car bursting into flames, the streets turning in a thick soup of melted concrete, buildings glowing red from the heat and buckling when it became to great. Then Dalton was able to make out the light inside the orb.

It was a person and judging by its clothes, it was a male, teenager by the looks of it, floating slightly off the ground. His clothes seemed to be submerged in water, oddly ripping around his body and he had his arms held out slightly. His face was shrouded in shadow but Dalton was able to see the great fiery eyes burning like flares. As the teen drew nearer, so did the orb, the heat intensifying on Dalton's face. Then the teen stopped, the orb inches from Dalton's face. Slowly, the orb began to shrink but it got smaller and smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the teen's body. An unnatural silence filled the air and for a brief moment, time seemed to stop.

Then a great rushing wind began to blow and the red eyes flared. He opened his mouth; a roaring fire seemingly trapped inside, and let out an earsplitting scream. Dalton felt himself yanked around the stomach and he was zooming backwards into the sky, all of New York falling beneath him.

It was as if an atom bomb had gone off, as a great billowing cloud of fire began to engulf all of New York. The sky turned the color of fire and the sea began to boil. Dalton was hit by the cloud and he felt his skin burn, his entire body being eaten by the flames. He screamed, wishing for it to stop.

Then it did. He opened his eyes and gasped in astonishment. He was in outer space; Earth lay out before him like a giant globe. He had a clear view of the U.S. below him. It took him a moment though, for him to see the great black spot. It appeared as though the entire state of New York had been burned by a huge cigarette, a great gaping hole that was still smoldering from the heat. It was not only New York but it appeared as though Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and even the northern part of Pennsylvania had been caught in the blast, as well as small fringes of Canada. It was the most terrible thing Dalton had ever seen.

The vision ended there and Dalton was back in the courtyard but the pain was too great. With one last look of the man returning to the ground, he blacked out.

* * *

Rika was still in a state of nausea, trying to recover from the sharp blow she received when she hit the ground. She had at this point realized that these two new people were not here to hurt her but were trying to rescue her.

She watched as the man was lifted off the ground and began to scream in pain. She watched in awe as the woman brought the statue to life just by touching it. She saw the man shatter the samurai statue into pieces and when the great gust of wind went off, she saw the man and woman knocked off and hit the ground and she felt herself hoisted as well, landing painfully on her back and her head hitting the ground hard.

She wearily tried to get up, feeling blood trickle down her face. The man was drawing nearer now, his blood red eyes pulsating, staring right at her. She was doomed and she knew it. Her rescuers now lay unconscious on the ground; her body feeling as though she had survived a car crash. She tried feebly to crawl away but her body felt like led and she barely got two inches. She could only watch in horror as the man drew steadily nearer.

She began to cry, still trying to get away. Just make it quick she thought; just make it quick, I don't want to suffer. Then she realized there was still hope. If she could get inside him, she could make him stop and turn around, maybe even kill himself. But would it work? How did she know that she'd be killing herself by trying to kill him? There was no time to think, she had to act.

She concentrated and felt the familiar rush. Without waiting, she zoomed right at him and dived in.

Pain laced through her body and her skull felt like it would crack. She threw her hands up to her face, her deep voice screaming in pain, the sound filling her ears and making stagger. It was horrible, absolutely horrible. Terrible images swarmed through her mind, of blood, murder, and killings. Rika felt herself lapse a little, a distorted image of her face appearing from the shadow head. As she staggered around in pain, her voice began to shift from hers to the mans, distorted and shadowy flashes of her legs, arms, and body flashed out of the man.

Enough! She heard a loud voice echo inside her head.

Rika felt herself pulled out of the body, her ghost form rushing back into her own and when she opened her eyes, she was herself again.

The man stood before her, his body heaving and his eyes livid with rage. Then Rika watched in horror as one of his arms suddenly engorged in side and split open, revealing a long bloody appendage, whip like tentacles thrashing along the appendage, that ended with a blood stained bone shaped into a fearsome sword. He stepped forward, the appendage raised, Rika screamed.

All of a sudden, giant chunks of rocks hit the man behind the back. He turned around in shock, the whips thrashing menacingly. Rika saw the man jump from the building, a brownish aura emitting from his hand. He thrust his hand down when he landed, causing a large spike to appear from beneath the man, knocking him into the air, where he was then bombarded with fireballs that were being thrown from a woman on the rooftop.

He fell to the ground in a smoldering heap and Rika watched as the woman yelled something. Suddenly, a large van appeared out of nowhere, floating in the sky and a burly man situated on the hood. As he started to get off the ground, his body still smoking, the man on the truck thrust out his hands. Bars of steel separated themselves from the walls and began to wrap themselves around him. He then directed his arm down, bringing the van down right into the courtyard.

Rika felt someone grasp her shoulder and she screamed in shock, only to see it was the man who had thrown the rocks.

He said something but Rika wasn't sure what, considering she didn't know English. But from the look on his handsome face, he was probably asking her if she was all right.

She nodded slightly. This seemed to be the correct answer, for he smiled and said something else. Then before she could object, he hoisted her over his shoulder and began to run for the van.

Rika watched as the woman and burly man fended off the man. The man suddenly thrust his arm out, causing the woman to be thrown off her feat and then he pointed at the burly man, causing him to clasp his head in pain. With this distraction, he was able to thrust his bone sword appendage right through the burly mans stomach.

Apparently, Rika's rescuer must have seen this, for he turned around and thrust his arm up, causing five more of the spikes to erupt from the earth, impaling the man through his arm, leg, stomach and chest.

They reached the van, the man putting Rika in the back, where another person was seated. The woman appeared a few moments later, her eyes slightly red. They seemed to argue over something before starting up the van. They drove the van right for the wall, then Rika felt a great surge from beneath and they were lifted right onto the roof as the earth beneath them formed a sort of bridge.

She was alive. She was alive and for the time being, she was safe but where were these people taking her?

She looked over to the other passenger, a young man with dirty blonde hair, but from the look on his face he didn't seem to know where they were going either.

Then a sudden flash went off next to Rika and she screamed once again, a wiry looking man suddenly appearing from out of nowhere. He smiled at her, waved a little, then he grasped the seat and Rika felt herself consumed in a suffocating darkness.

At that exact moment, if you were to look up at the rooftop of the Shinjuku School for the Hearing Impaired, you would have seen the great black van give off a bright flash and it would disappear.

* * *

Back in the courtyard, the man hung suspended in midair, supported by the large spike that pierced his body. Blood was tricking slightly down the spikes and his red eyes had begun to dilute to their normal icy blue.

Then Dahlia appeared from the shadows, Kara right behind her. They walked into the ruined area, stepping over the unconscious man and the dead one until she was right in front of him.

My love she thought, what have they done to you?

We must get him down, must save him.

Dahlia let her hand glow blue and she fired at the spikes, causing them to break apart and the man falling to the ground. She bent over him, putting her ear to his chest, where she heard the faint beating of his heart.

"Oh, my love" she said, her fingers softly stroking his face "don't worry now my love, I'm hear. Sissy and me will take good care of you now. You are safe. Come sissy, help me please".

Kara came over wordlessly. She bended down and helped Dahlia hoist him up, Dahlia with the arms and Kara with the legs.

"Come sissy, must hurry, before they come" they then began to haul the body out of the courtyard.

"Its okay my love" she said "they will pay for this, I swear it". She kept on muttering to herself as she, her sister, and the man they now carried disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**Authors note: keep reviewing people!**


	20. The Woman from Langley

Extraordinary events are happening all over the globe. People from all walks of life; begin to discover these extraordinary abilities. With it, great power comes. And with all great power, sides will be taken. Seven of these people, unbeknownst to them, have already been chosen for an incredible adventure. On this journey, they have encountered obstacles great and small. Two mysterious factions, both after a common goal and yet share different views. An unstoppable villain, left for dead and rescued by a woman from his past. And the biggest obstacle yet to come, a coming disaster, that will shake the world to its core. It will come to past that these people will be brought together and stop this disaster, it has already begun. The teenager and the drug mule, now joined by the hockey player who has abandoned his former employer and now seeks justice. The stockbroker and the college professor, who have saved on of their own and are determine to save others. The deaf girl, whose father runs a secret life, and the surfer, both rescued by strangers and now face an even more uncertain future.

The events are set. The pieces are moving. The time has come, for the heroes to rise.

* * *

_Central Intelligence Agency- Langley, Virginia _

Angela Hansen was awoken by the sound of her cell phone ringing at the side of her hip. She jerked her head up from her desk, her office being one of the only few lights still on in the agency. Looking at the clock, it was 1:28 in the morning. She rolled her head to get the kink out of her neck and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before reaching for the cell phone at her side.

Angela was a very serious person and it shown in her face. It was finely aged at nearly 51 years of age, her dark brown eyes and high cheek bones giving her a very stern look, short blond hair falling to about her shoulders. She was a tall woman, nearly six foot in height, which only added to her imposing stature.

She has been working for the CIA for almost twenty eight years now, working her way through the ranks to get to where she was now, a Deputy Director and Task Force Chief. Simply put, her job was to take down dangerous criminals and she was very good at her job. That is, until this case had come along.

She put the cell to her ear "Angela Hansen" she said in a slightly groggy voice.

"Angela" said a familiar voice "we have discovered something that might interest you. Something about the Cranial Killer".

Suddenly, Angela was all ears "I'm listening".

"Something has happened in Tokyo" he continued, "we believe it is him. I'll explain more once you get there but right now, we need you here as soon as possible".

"I'm on my way" she hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and jacket and quickly made her way out of the room.

For nearly two months now, Angela has spent every waking hour she could on the Cranial Killer. His methods were always the same, hole in the head and brain turned to mush. So far, fifteen victims, all the same method and all seemingly random, no personality traits, no similar appearance, no specific age group, nothing.

The killings original began in Argentina, slowly working there way up the continent until it finally spilled over into the US. The only hard motif for killing was the pattern, the killings all seemingly going in a straight line across the continent. Then the killings come to Michigan and everything is thrown of balance. The killings suddenly deviate from the pattern, heading east across the country but for why? She wasn't sure.

The worst part of is, the killer left barely any evidence, nothing concrete to pinpoint a specific person. Everything just seemed to lead of in a dead end. Every waking moment, Angela was pouring over books, case files, anything that may help her but this so far proved fruitless. This has become increasing frustrating not only for her but also for her other directors, who have grown very tired of two months of investigation and no results. Hopefully, this Tokyo thing might help.

After a thirteen-hour flight, Angela had arrived. It was nearly two o'clock at night and even though she slept through the entire flight, she still felt tired. Out in the parking lot she spotted Dawson, her right hand man, a haughty looking person with shaggy brown hair and shabby attire.

"Dawson" she said curtly as she got into the car.

"Angela" he said getting in "how was the flight?"

"Long" she said, "I still see you haven't gotten new clothes".

"Sorry Angela" he said, "still working on it".

"What's the situation, is it really him?"

"It is" he replied "but, it's a bit complicated".

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You'll just have to see when we get there" he replied as they pulled out of the lot.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The Shinjuku School for the Hearing Impaired" he said "a top school for deaf teens in the greater Tokyo area".

"You mean he killed a student?" she asked.

"No" Dawson said.

"Then who did he kill?"

"We aren't sure" he said, "That's the reason why it's…complicated".

Angela decided it was best till they got to the school, seeing as how this would get her nowhere. She contented herself to staring into the sparkling Tokyo nightlife. As if the case could get any more complicated, a hearing impaired school she thought, what is he up to?

They pulled up to the school, where a number of people populated the outer area, curious as to the commotion with all the cars around the area.

The driver parked the car in the back and the two CIA members got out. Angela surveyed the scene with her brown eyes.

"Awful lot of people" she said as they headed for the school.

"Yes" Dawson replied, "there was some sort of dance going on at the time when it happened".

"Any casualties?" she asked.

"Just one" he said "Kazumi Takahashi. They found her in one of the halls, looking as though she had been thrown right into a window".

"Dead?" she asked.

"No" he said "she was still alive when they found her. Nothing but a few glass shards in her skin and a nasty headache".

"Has she been interrogated?" she said, walking up the school steps.

"We're working on getting an interpreter hear" he said, "We figured maybe you could do that when he gets here".

Angela nodded. It was a slim lead but maybe this Kazumi girl could tell her something.

"Look out" Dawson said "Levitz at twelve o'clock".

Angela groaned. Jeremy Levitz was another of the Deputy Directors at the agency and Angela did not like him at all, from his personality, to his motives, to his methods. He has been the one to constantly point out her incompetence to the Senior Director and has on more then one occasion tried to get the case passed on to him.

"Angela" he said as he neared them.

"Jeremy" she said in a civil tone. Jeremy Levitz was a very tall individual, skinny at the age of sixty, and gray hair that was beginning to thin. His face was slightly sunken in and his blue eyes were anything but friendly. He reminded Angela of a bird of prey, waiting for his chance to strike when the chance permitted it.

"I see you made it in time" he said.

"I have" she said "can you take me to the scene?"

"Certainty" he said. She and Dawson followed in Levitz wake as he led them down the hall.

"Have you ID'ed the victim yet?" she asked.

"Not yet" he answered "but the victim isn't the interesting part. Just wait till you see". They went down a few more halls, turning once more to find two of the hallway doors barely hanging on their hinges.

"Get ready for this" Levitz said, pushing open the doors.

It appeared as though a tornado had blown right through the place. Lockers were ripped clean off their bolts and lay strewn on the ground. Chunks of glass and rubble laid littered everywhere while parts of the ceiling were cracked. The courtyard that rested in the middle had large chunks of its grass missing, shattered pieces of a statue where strewn across, and in one part a body laid at rest.

"What happened?" Angela asked.

"Not sure" Levitz replied as they made their way through the rubble "bout ten minutes to ten or so, people began to hear loud crashes from across the school. First believed to be nothing until a few minutes later when a blast or something went off, causing the whole school to rumble. When people arrived to investigate, they found the place like this and three people on the ground. One dead, the others knocked out".

"Where are these others?" Angela asked.

"That's the thing. By the time we got hear, the two of them were gone and no one seemed to have noticed".

"You think maybe he came back for them?" Dawson asked.

"Its highly unlikely" Angela said.

"Then maybe they were somehow connected to the event," he continued.

"That's possible" Angela said, "what did the two look like?"

"Well, based on the witnesses" Levitz said, "one was a Caucasian male, early to mid thirties. The other was some Indian woman".

"It that it?" she said.

"That's it" he replied.

They had now reached the body, a burley looking man with jet-black hair. She noticed a large puncture wound in the middle of his chest, his black shirt soaked with blood. By the looks of his face, she saw the familiar blood trails from the mouth and nose, curiously missing from his other parts. Then she noticed it.

"No wound to the head?" she said.

"Nope" he said "but we drilled a small hole in the head to get a better look. Already possible signs of hemorrhaging and liquefying".

"But not head wound" she repeated.

"What do you think?" Dawson asked.

She tapped her finger on her lip "somehow, I don't think this was his target".

"What do you mean?" Levitz asked.

"It seems a bit odd that after thirteen victims, he would suddenly stop in the middle of it",

"Maybe he's changed his method" Levitz said, "It's a strong possibility".

"Perhaps" she said "but why all this then? Why would he stop, after all that happened"?

"Maybe he was interrupted" Levitz said "after all, what happened in hear, sure would distract me".

Things had become complicated. The fact that he didn't go through with his kill was odd enough but by the looks of this whole mess, something big must have happened. But what exactly?

She noticed an odd rock formation a few lengths from her, something dark shinning off it in the moonlight. Walking forward, she saw the clear color of blood.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the rock formation.

"Its nothing" Levitz said.

"There's blood on these rocks" Angela said.

"We've already took a sample of those" he replied.

"Do they match the victim?"

"By our early results, no. Different blood type".

Angela nodded. Then, among the rubble, she noticed something else was shinning in the moonlight. Bending down, she pried from the rubble what appeared to be a company pin. There appeared to be no name, just an odd symbol of a large, ornate I inside a circle.

"I found something," she said, standing up.

"What?" Levitz demanded.

"It looks like a company pin" she said, "Recognize it?"

Levitz looked at it "no I don't".

"Dawson?" she asked, showing him the pin.

"Sorry Angela, no".

"Take this," she said "I want you to find out what company this belongs to and report to me as soon as you do".

"Yes mame" he then took off.

"Levitz" she said, "where's the Takahashi girl?"

"We got her in the ambulance" he said.

"I wanna talk to her," she said.

"We don't have the interpreter yet".

"Then get him," she said coldly, walking out of his sight and across the rubble.

* * *

_Itex Corporation- London, England _

It was barely past six o'clock, the sun still faint as it began its slow accent into the sky. Arthur Lancaster was staring out his window, watching the sun climbed higher and higher, casting the city in a golden hue. It were moments like this that most calmed him, moments that for a few seconds took him away from the hectic life his business demanded.

He heard a knock at his door. Slightly annoyed for being disrupted, he said in an impatient voice "what?"

"Oh, sorry sir" turning, he saw it was Fiona "I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll leave".

"No Fiona" he said "its all right, I just thought it was someone else. What is it?"

She composed herself "it appears…that, he's struck again".

Lancaster's face remained blank "yes?"

"And, sir, it was one of the daughters of our employers" she said.

He clenched his fist "dead I assume?"

"No" she replied, "no, he failed. It appears that two other superhuman's intervened while he was after her".

"Who?" he asked.

"Dalton Abbot, a stockbroker from London, and Asheera Kapadia, former college professor at the Mumbai University. Abbot has precognitive abilities and Kapadia has reanimation"

"Dalton Abbot and Asheera Kapadia" he said, tapping his fingers on his desk "they were suppose to have been brought in about three days ago, correct?"

"Yes sir" she replied.

"Who was the employer?" he asked.

"One Koji Ichikawa" she said, "daughter's name is Rika Ichikawa, has the ability of astral projection. One of the vice-presidents at our Tokyo headquarters".

"Ah yes, I remember him" he said "I think I met him at our last Christmas party. If I remember, his wife was superhuman?"

"Indeed sir" she replied "Chiharu Ichikawa, died of brain cancer almost two years ago. Had the ability of flight".

"Ah yes, I remember him now" he said, "She is all right then?"

"No sir" she said, "it appears that they arrived one the scene and took her".

Lancaster felt a great surge of annoyance "those fools" he hissed "they will bring ruin to the world if they keep harboring those unstable bodies. And you still can't find where they are taking them?"

"No sir" she said, "it would seem they have found a way of sidestepping my sweeps".

For months now, this faction of superhumans have been doing nothing but thwarting his plans. Don't they realize the dangers they put themselves in when they take in these out of control humans? It would be catastrophe for the world!

"There is one more thing sir," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"It concerns Mr. Pavlova," she said.

"And?"

"Well" she said, pausing slightly "it has appeared…that, he has abandoned us".

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Mesmer called in to say he wasn't answering in his earpiece" she said "and when I tracked him down, he was with the Leachman boy and one other, the three of them heading out of the city". Lancaster didn't feel any anger, just disappointment. Such a waste of talent.

"Very well" he said, "tell Mesmer to capture him as well".

"Yes sir" she said.

"Wait" Lancaster said as she walked for the door.

"Yes sir?" she asked.

"Where is Ben now?" he said.

"I'm sorry sir," she said "but you know as well as I do that after his attacks, he always disappears".

He sighed, "very well" he said, "You may go now".

"Right sir" she then exited out the door.

He turned back to the window, the sun still only halfway up. Oh Ben he thought, why are you doing this?

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- outskirts of Nashville, USA _

The city had now long since disappeared and Yuri, Clark, and Catalina were now in the suburbs, ducking behind bushes and keeping to the shadows as they kept their steady pace.

As they ran, Yuri was able to hear the full stories of Clark and Catalina. Yuri pretty much knew about Clark's situation but hers was another entirely. He had always heard of these drug rings but never really believed most of the stories were true, till he met her.

As they kept their pace, Yuri couldn't help but think of Ana. He hoped she was okay and prayed she wasn't in any danger from his actions. It would have killed him to find out she had been punished for his decisions. You were right Ana he thought, I shouldn't have let my life get so caught up with Lancaster.

"Can we stop?" Clark asked after a few hours "I can't go much further".

"Very well" Yuri said "but we have to make it quick".

They stopped in a small glen that bordered a nearby neighborhood. Clark collapsed on the ground while Catalina slumped next to a tree. Yuri remained upright, breathing heavily and looking over his shoulder constantly, thinking they had caught up to them.

"Wow" Clark said, "I think that's the most exercise I've had in years".

"Five minutes" Yuri said, "that's it. Then we have to go".

"Why the rush?" Catalina asked, "It looks like we've put a good distance between them".

"Believe me" Yuri said, thinking of Lancaster's assistant "they'll find us".

Lancaster. The thought of him sent Yuri's mind into a hated frenzy. This man, kidnapping these people, turning them into his own little soldiers to do his dirty work, killing them if he thought they were to dangerous. When he first met Lancaster and discovered his powers, he thought it was a blessing. Now he realized they were nothing but curses. Right now, the only thing Yuri felt like doing was walking right up to that man and destroy him with the very powers he gave him.

It was at that moment that Yuri realized that no matter how far he would run, they would run for that matter, they would not be safe. They will be hunted at every turn, constantly running, never being able to stay in one place for too long, never seeing their loved ones again.

Yuri clenched his fist. That won't happen to me he thought, not me or Clark or Catalina or anyone else for that matter.

"We're leaving" Yuri said suddenly.

"Already?" Clark asked "but that wasn't even five minutes!"

"Things have changed" Yuri said.

"What's changed?" Clark asked, "What's going on?"

"We're putting an end to this" Yuri said "we're going to London".

"London?" Catalina said in a shocked voice, Clark looking at him in disbelief.

"Yes, London" Yuri said "the Itex building to be exact".

* * *

_Tokyo, Japan _

"that interpreter here?" Angela asked as she neared the emergency vehicle, a frazzled looking agent next to her.

"yes Ms. Hansen" she said "he should be here in a moment".

The doors were opened; a teen was wrapped in a blanket, a large bandage on her head and her school uniform ripped.

"Ms. Hansen" she turned to see a tall Japanese man appear "I'm Mr. Nobu, the interpreter you called for".

"good" she said "lets get started".

She walked up to the teen, who looked up at her with frightened eyes.

"Kazumi Takahashi?" she asked. the interpreter signed next to her and she nodded.

"I'm Angela Hansen from the CIA, I'm here to ask you a few questions. Can you do that for me?" Nobu signed some more and Kazumi nodded her head.

"were you able to see the man who attacked you?" he signed away and she shook her head. well, worth a shot she thought.

"can you describe to me what happened?" she asked.

the girl began to sign rapidly, looking as though she were swatting flies to Angela.

"she says that she and her friend Rika" Nobu said "were walking from the bathroom when this man began to follow them. she turned around to tell him to go away and…well, she says he flung out his arm and she felt something grab her by the waist and flung her to the wall. She then blacked out".

"flung to the wall?" Angela said "what do you mean? Tell her to be more specific".

"she says she's not sure how to describe it" she said "he just flung out his arm and she went flying across the hall, as if by some invisible force".

This was getting Angela nowhere. she figured this might have been trauma from the attack.

"what about this Rika girl?" Angela asked "do we know where she is?"

"uh, no miss" said the girl agent "we think she's referring to a Rika Ichikawa. It would appear she came to the dance as well and has since gone missing. We've already sent out people to try and find her and her father has been notified".

Angela nodded "thanks for you time Kazumi" she turned away and began to walk away, messaging her temples. Once again, they have no solid proof, no true witness accounts, and to top it off, a confusing crime scene that appears to have been bombed.

"Angela!" she turned to see Dawson running up to her.

"Tell me you got good news" Angela said.

"in fact I do" he said "you know that pin you gave us? Turns out it was a company logo on it" he handed her a bunch of papers, the first one with a mans picture on it.

"It seems the logo belongs to the Itex Corporation" Dawson said "a privately owned world wide business run by this man, Arthur Lancaster. Founded by him only five years ago, it's already become the fastest growing corporation today and is estimated to become one of the biggest conglomerates in the next two years".

"What is it they do?" she asked.

"Well, that's where it gets a bit patchy" Dawson replied "according to this, their main thing is real-estate, with hundreds of buildings owned by them around the world. Other then that, doesn't say much else".

"sounds like a shady business" Angela remarked.

"oh and get this" he said "you know about that one girl who went missing? The Ichikawa girl? Turns out her father is one of the vice-presidents for Itex's Tokyo Corporation. Think this is a coincidence?"

"Maybe" Angela said "but who knows, this is the first real solid lead we've gotten in awhile" she pondered this for a moment.

"Okay Dawson" she said "I want someone to talk more to this Ichikawa fella and I want you to get me an appointment with this Lancaster guy".

"Right" with that, he took off.

Angela watched as they wheeled out the body into another ambulance. Where are you now? She thought, when would you strike next?

After a few moments, she turned around and headed back to the school.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia _

When Asheera regained consciousness, she put a hand to her head, feeling it throb. She slowly lifted herself up and looked around the ruined courtyard. The girl was gone, so was the man, and someone lay dead on the grass.

She hauled herself up and looked for Dalton, sprawled against the courtyard wall. She ran over to him, knelt down, and began to wake him.

"Dalton!" she said "Dalton, wake up!"

he stirred slightly, cracking one eye open, groaning slightly.

"are you okay?" she asked.

"ya, ya I think so" he said "my head hurts though" suddenly, his eyes popped open "the girl! Is she all right? Where is he? Is he-"

"Dalton, quiet" she said "their gone".

"gone? What do you mean gone?" he said, hauling himself up "where did they go?"

"I don't know" she said, standing up as well "we should just be thankful we're alive".

"but what if he's got her?" he said, growing frantic "what if all we did was for nothing? What it-" at that moment, something vibrated next to Asheera's hip. Jumping slightly, she felt inside her sari and plucked out a cell phone hidden within the folds.

"Who's that?" Dalton asked when he realized she wasn't paying attention to him.

"I don't know" she said "its not mine". The phone continued to ring, an unknown number displayed on the screen.

"Should I answer it?" she said.

"I think you should" he said.

She flipped open the phone and brought it to her ear, Dalton coming closer so he could hear.

"Hello?" she said uncertainly.

"The girl is safe," an unknown voice said "we've taken her with us. We'd like to thank you for helping her" Asheera looked at Dalton, the same confused look on his face.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"I wish I could tell you" the voice continued, which sounded like a man "but we cannot be certain this call is safe" there was a short pause.

"We want to make an offer," the voice said.

Asheera looked at Dalton, a hesitant look on his face, she was thinking the same thing.

She covered the phone with her hand "we should hear him out" she said, "I think that it's safe".

"Are you sure?" Dalton asked.

"I am very sure," she said. She un-muffled the phone and put it back to her ear.

"What kind of an offer?" she asked.

"We believe that you know where others like you and the girl are" he said "we're trying to save them as well. We want you to help us".

"How?" she asked.

"First off, we need you two to get out of the city, its not safe for you there" he said "the enemy has by now tracked you down and will be coming for you. Go to Osaka, someone will meet you there and tell you more. There will be a train that will leave tomorrow at noon, make sure you're on it. And be sure no one is following you" the phone line then went dead.

Asheera put the cell phone back in her sari. "It sounds risky" she said.

"What, you think it might be a trap?" he said.

"Maybe" she said "but listening to him, he sounded sincere".

"So what should we do?" he asked.

Asheera pondered this for a moment. It was very possible all of this was a trap but then, why go through all this trouble? If she remembered, Osaka was nearly halfway across the country and was one of the biggest cities in Tokyo. Why go through all that trouble?

"I believe" she said "we should go to Osaka…but we have to be cautious. Anything that seems odd, we pull out of it".

He nodded "sounds like a plan" of in the distance; Asheera heard the sound of sirens approaching.

"We better get out of here" she said.

And with that said, they made their way across the ruined courtyard and disappeared out the back door.


	21. The Osaka Mission

_Dalton Abbot- Kansai Region, Japan_

The Japan countryside zoomed past Dalton as he and Asheera rode the train that would take them to Osaka. When they had arrived at the station, sure enough, there was a pair of tickets waiting for them, already paid and with their names on it. It was both comforting and a bit unsettling. Looking over at Asheera, he could tell she was just as nervous as he was. Both knew how risky this whole thing was, considering they were following orders from some unknown person on a cell phone that somehow appeared in Asheera's clothes. It all just seemed very fishy to the both of them.

"We should be arriving in about thirty minutes," Asheera said after a long period of silence.

"Right" he said.

Dalton kept on thinking of the girl, praying that she was truly ok and that she was safe with these people and all of it wasn't a lie. Then he remembered the vision.

He hadn't given much thought to the vision ever since the phone call, the urgency of it all just made everything seem unimportant and the whole thing just slipped his mind. Now with the sudden notice of it again, he began to ponder more and more into it all.

Exactly why did he have the vision? Who was the teenager? And most off all, would it really happen? Would some cataclysmic event take place that would wipe out of all New York? It seemed highly unlikely but from everything that's happened in the past week, anything seemed possible at the moment.

Dalton wondered if maybe he should tell Asheera about it, but then he wondered, did she really need the burden of it?

Nearly all of his vision had come true. If he or no other person had stepped in to change it, then the vision would play out. So now the question was…will this terrible event really happen? By the odds of it all, Dalton knew that it was a strong possibility.

They arrived at the Osaka train station after their long train ride over. Dalton got up and stretched out his cramped up legs and messaged the back of his still sore head.

Once they were out on the platform, the phone began to vibrate. Asheera picked it up and Dalton leaned in.

"Yes?" she said.

"Osakajo Koen Station" the voice said "go there and get on the Osaka Loop Line, this will take you to Osaka-Jo Hall. Once their, go to Osaka Castle and find the stone memoriam of Toyotomi Hideyori. Someone will be waiting there for you. Be quick, for the enemy may already be on you". Then the line went dead.

"Know where the station is?" Dalton asked.

"How should I know Dalton?" she said, "I've never been to Osaka before. Lets just find a taxi, their bound to know where the station is". They headed out of the platform and onto the main street, hailing for a taxi to come.

After just a few miles, Asheera realized they didn't have enough money on them to make the rest of the trip. So they stopped and asked the man how to get there on foot and paid him the fine. Getting out of the taxi, they made their way down the bustling streets till Osakajo Koen Station came into view.

Lucky for them, they were able to catch the Loop Line before it left. Since the entire train was pretty full, they had to contend with standing up. Another sharp pain raced down Dalton and he rubbed his head, feeling his wound throbbing again.

Looking up again, he briefly locked eyes with a man across the tram. For one brief moment, he thought he was looking into a snake's eye but then they were gone and the man looked away.

Something told Dalton that they were being followed right about now.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- unknown location _

For a moment, Tyler thought he was back in Sydney, back in the apartment with the others. Then he realized the bed was too soft. Getting up, he found himself in a very clean neat looking room with carpeted floors, desk, nice bed, plant, and even a connecting bathroom. He got off the bed very cautiously, half expecting for all of this to be an illusion but after a few moments, it seemed very real.

He walked over to the bathroom and turned on the sink, taking a long sip from the faucet and splashing some water on his face. Where am I now? He thought. It certainly was a change from the past few days. He remembered that Richard guy saying they were going to be taking him somewhere safe. But, where exactly was here?

Looking up into the mirror, he saw the beast staring at him with those yellow eyes. Your still here huh? He thought. And almost as if he heard him, the beast nodded.

Then his door opened and in walked Richard.

"Aw good" he said "you're up, hope you like your room".

"Yeah" Tyler said "its…very nice".

"Well, now that you're up" he said "come with me then".

"Where too?" he asked cautiously.

"You wanna know where you are, don't ya?" he said. Well, it would be nice to have an idea of where he was.

"Well, yeah, that would be nice" he said.

"Well then come on," Richard said, opening the door a bit wider. Tyler again turned to look at the beast, which nodded at him.

You think I should go? He asked. The beast nodded once more.

"All right" Tyler said after a few minutes "lets go then".

"Great" he responded, a smile crossing his face "come on then". With one last glance at the mirror, he saw that the beast had disappeared and his own reflection was looking at him. Then he followed Richard out of the room.

They crossed down a long hallway with tons of other doors dotting the place, each with a small plaque on the doors with a person's name on it. Tyler walked past a lot of people down the hall, most of which gave him a smile and said hello to him while others seemed embroiled in some sort of work.

At the end of the hall was a small lobby with two elevators and a couple of benches along the wall. One of the doors opened and a few people walked out and Richard and Tyler got in once they left.

The elevator was your average metal one with the standard large light bulb up top, railings, and a set number of buttons that ranged from one to eight, the top one being a small rectangular button with the initials HQ on it. It was this last button that Richard pressed and the elevator began to ascend.

After a few minutes, it stopped and the doors opened and Tyler gave a gasp of shock. It was a large area about the size of a two-story house. Numerous people where at work on long benches lined with computers. Multiple wires criss-crossed across the floor to many other electrical appliances around the area. But it was the immense screen on the wall directly in front of him that really got him going. It was as big as the room itself, with a large satellite image of the world dominating most of the screen and all along the sides where numerous tiny screens that showed pictures of surveillance footage, news broadcast, TV shows, data images, traffic monitors, and many many more.

"All right everyone, look alive" yelled a woman in the middle of the room "we are now in full operation. Terry, give me feed and get Darius's COM online, I want this to go as smooth as possible".

"Nola!" Richard yelled to the woman.

"All right everyone" the woman named Nola said "keep it up and tell me when you got feed" she then made her way across the room to where they were standing.

She was a short woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and bright red horned rimmed glasses. She had on a pair of oil stained jeans and wore one of those cloaks you saw all those detectives where in the movies, the sleeves rolled all the way up to her elbows.

"Nola" he said, "this is Tyler, our other new arrival. Tyler, this is Nola, and she is our head technician and one of our co-executives here".

"And where exactly is here?" he asked.

But before either of them could respond, someone yelled from across the room "Nola! We got feed up".

She nodded "you" she said, "Follow me. I'll explain later but right now, we're on a assignment, so just sit back and watch for a moment". She turned around and headed down the room, Richard pushing him forward, signaling him to move.

Tyler quickly caught up with her, who was at one of the large computer screens where the person at work was busy pulling things up. It was then he saw the girl from the truck standing just a few paces from them.

"Okay, feed is up" the guy at the desk said. Looking up at the screen, Tyler saw about four images appear of a very ornate looking Japanese castle with a bunch of tourists on the grounds.

"There they are" Nola said and instantly, one of the images zoomed in on two people, one man and one woman.

"All right everyone" she said "let's see if all this goes well".

* * *

_Itex Headquarters- London, England _

Angela was anxiously drumming her fingers on the chairs hands. She had been waiting now for nearly forty minutes and was starting to get agitated. How busy could this guy be? She thought.

"Ms. Hansen" the woman at the desk said "Mr. Lancaster will you see you now. Just take the elevator up to the top floor".

About time she thought "thank you" she said before walking to the elevator.

She was greeted of course by a few security people and only when she showed them her badge did they lay off the search warrant. She walked into the large office where Lancaster was seen at his desk.

"Ah, your here" he said, "Sorry about the wait, please take a seat".

"Mr. Lancaster" she said "I'm Angela Hansen of the CIA, I'm here to ask you a few questions" she took a seat in front of his desk.

"About what exactly?" he asked, folding his hands.

"This" she took out the pin and placed it on the desk "look familiar?"

"Yes" he said, "that's one of our company pins. Where did you get it?"

"It was found at a murder scene in Tokyo" she said "we believe the perpetrator is or was employed to you at a certain point".

"A reasonable assumption" he said dryly.

"You wouldn't happen to recognize this man, would you?" she showed him the picture of the dead man.

He gazed at it lazily "no, I have not seen him before".

She nodded and put the photo away "so Mr. Lancaster, you I can assume then you have no idea why your company pin was found at the crime scene then?"

"Yes, that's basically it" he replied.

"So you have never met this man in your life then?"

"I believe I just said that" he replied. Angela felt a tick in her cheek, slightly annoyed at his response.

"So looking at this pin" she continued, "I say that not many people have one of these?"

"No they don't" he laid back in his chair "they are given only to our highest ranking employees, vice-presidents, corporate heads, that sort of lot".

"And you have not…oh say, fired anyone of your high ranking employees in the past few months?"

"Well, yes" he said "certain people had to be released to make room for new blood but I don't think they would go on a murderous rage from being released from me".

"You are quite certain of this?" she asked.

"We do very extensive background checks on all our employees" Lancaster said, "So we would be well aware of there history and I can honestly say, none of them have fit the mold of a murderer".

The telephone went of after he said this. He picked it up and talked into it for a short moment before putting it down.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hansen" he said "but I am a very busy man at the moment, so I'm afraid we'll have to cut this little meeting short".

Angela nodded "very well" she got up and picked up her folder "we'll be in touch in case something comes up".

"Very well" he said, "I'll look forward to it" he then gave her a smug smile.

Once she was out of the building she pulled out her cell phone and called Dawson.

"Hey Angela" he said, "How'd it go?"

"He's lying" she said, "It's obvious he's hiding something, something he doesn't want discovered. So listen Dawson, I don't care how but I want files of every employed and unemployed Itex's members from the past year, preferably the big shot guys, vice-presidents, advisors, all the big ones and while your at it, I want to know exactly what it is this guy does and don't give me the bull shit version of classified information, I want to know everything this company is up to and I want all this on my desk by the time I return to headquarters".

"Right Angela" he said "we'll get on it".

She closed the phone and hailed for a taxi. Finally she thought, a true lead at last. Whether Lancaster liked it or not, she was going to find out what it is he's hiding and when she did, she will knock that smug expression right off his face.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Osaka, Japan _

"I think we're being followed" Dalton said once they arrived at Osaka-Jo Hall.

"What?" she said.

"Don't look," he said as she began to turn her head.

"Are you certain?"

"Positive" Dalton replied as they headed down the steps.

"Well, who is it?" she asked.

"Guy in the long overcoat" he said "light gray in color".

"What do you think we should do?" she asked.

"We have to give him the slip somehow," he said "he must know we're going to this castle but I'm pretty sure he won't know where it is exactly we want to go".

"So what then?" she asked "a diversion then?"

"Yeah, something like that" he replied "but right now, we need to act as if nothing is wrong".

"Okay" she replied. As they exited out to the grounds, Asheera spotted a sign post that pointed off into three locations. On one of the signs, she saw in English writing Osaka Castle.

"Its that way" she said.

As they walked along the dirt path, Asheera took a chance and glanced back. Instantly, she spotted the man in the gray overcoat and she quickly glanced ahead.

"You're right," she said.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Back there but I don't think he saw me" she replied.

After a few minutes of walking, a large ornate castle soon came into view. The castle appeared to be built on two raised platforms of sheer rock, each overlooking a moat. The central castle building appeared to be almost five stories high, while other smaller buildings surrounded it. As they entered through the main gate, which was filled with other tourist and populated with various vending areas, Asheera got an idea.

"Dalton, I think I got an idea," she said.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"There are dozens of people here" she said "we should be able to loose him in the crowd, as long as we give off a good enough distraction".

"Okay" he said "what then?"

Asheera began to look around, trying to spot something that would surely cause a big commotion. She spotted a vending stall a few lengths down, dotted with many small Japanese figurines of samurais, geisha's, little children, dragons, and many more.

"I think I got it" she said "is he still watching us?"

Dalton looked over her for a moment "he's just entered the gates".

"Okay" she said "I need you to hold his attention for me, can you do that?"

"Yes, I'm sure" he said.

"Good, now before we do anything, lets at least find out where this stone thing is so we know where to go".

She headed over to one of the vendors "excuses me, do you speak English?"

"Yes" he replied.

"Can you tell us where the stone of…of…" she thought for a moment before the name came to her "Toyotomi Hideyori is?"

"Certainly" he said, "it should be in the north courtyard, just through those gates".

"Thank you," she said, "okay Dalton, you heard him. Grab his attention and when it happens, we head for the courtyard".

"How will I know when?" he asked.

"Trust Me," she said, "you'll know".

Dalton slipped past her and began to head over to the man. She waited until she saw him actual begin to follow Dalton, then she made her way to the vending area. Lucky for her, the man had just stepped out of the stall for a smoke, all the better for a stealthy get away. She concentrated a moment and began to brush her hand across every one of the statues as she could.

Almost immediately after she touched them, they began to jerk to life, arms moving, clothes beginning to sway, and for the dragons, they flex their wings. Once most of them where active, she bent down to their level.

"I need a distraction" she said "you think you can do that without being seen?"

All the figurines nodded fervently. Then they began to make their way down the vending stall in orderly fashion via the ropes that hung from the stall side. Touching down on the ground, the little figures quickly began to weave and dash their way through the stalls. She only had to wait for a few minutes cause, one by one, all the stalls around them began to crumble to the ground, causing many items from food, clothes, souvenirs, all of them to become sprawled across the ground.

People's attention were instantly drawn to the commotion, many yelping in surprise and trying to huddle around to see what was happening while unbeknownst to them, tiny little statues were weaving their way through peoples legs and making their way to the next stall.

Seeing her chance, she quickly turned and ran across the courtyard to the gate. Looking around another courtyard, she spotted a signpost with a map on it and by the looks of it the stone was located not far from where she were.

She turned at the sound of Dalton's approach "nice thinking there" he said.

"Quick, its this way" she said.

They began to walk across the courtyard only to have their path blocked when a large reptilian thing landed right in front of them, its snakehead eyeing them and its tail curling deviously behind it. Then Asheera noticed it had on the same overcoat that guy was wearing.

"You actually thought I'd fall for that little charade?" the thing hissed, "well, if that was the best you got, then your best was shit".

The thing took a step forward "so, are we going to do this the easy way? Or the hard way?"

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- unknown location _

Rika could only stand and watch as the people worked away at the computers, not knowing what they were saying or what exactly was going on. She barely recognized anyone, only the one man who brought her in here and the other who was in the truck with her.

When Rika woke from her blackout, she found herself in a cozy room and the woman with red hair waiting for her to get up. She said something to Rika, which she took as being to follow her, and she was brought up here in this room with the huge screen and hundreds of computers.

She had no idea where she was, nor what these people wanted with her. On the one hand, she seemed to be safe but on the other, she still didn't exactly know who these people were.

Looking up at one of the zoomed in screens she instantly recognized Osaka Castle, having been there once when she was five with her parents. Then she saw it was those two people back from the school in the main courtyard. The two who practically saved her life. What were they doing there? She thought.

She watched the whole scene unfold as the vendors began to crash everywhere and people were put into a panic. It was then they lost visual of the two. The woman with the blonde hair began to yell something indecipherable but it seemed to Rika she wanted to find the two who vanished.

The screens swiveled around the courtyard, trying to pick up on the two in the raging crowd. Then one of the cameras switched over to another courtyard where thee found man and woman and where directly in front of them was some sort of lizard man, who took one threatening step forward.

Come on she thought, someone help them!

* * *

_Osaka Castle_

But before the stranger could do anything, a sudden flash of light and small pop later, a wiry looking man with spiky black hair appeared in front of them.

"Snake" he said.

"Well well well" the man named Snake hissed in a gleeful voice "this is a treat for me, three prizes for one mission".

"Forget it Snake," the wiry man said, "you can't have them".

Snake rolled his eyes "typical. You and your friends are just the same, misguided and confused of what is right".

"And what's that?" he shot back "kidnapping people?"

"Oh, look who's being the hypocrite" he hissed, "When you do the exact same thing we do".

"Because you're the one's chasing after them in the first place!" he yelled.

"Look, I would love to continue this little conversation" Snake said lazily "but I have a job to complete. So, if you'd please move!" his tail shot out at the wiry man, who disappeared again in a flash of light and reappeared behind Dalton and Asheera.

"Hang on!" he grabbed both their shoulders and instantly Dalton was wrapped in a crushing darkness that seemed to take the breath out of him but just a split second later, they appeared on top of the castle walls overlooking the moat.

"Run!" the wiry man yelled. Dalton looked behind them to see Snake now scaling the wall like a lizard, heading right towards them.

The three took off down the castle walls, their feet making audible sounds as they clapped away on the stone. Out of nowhere, Snake's tail shot out in front of them, nearly impaling Dalton right in the chest. He leaped onto the walkway and let out a hiss, his long fangs glinting.

The wiry man quickly ran for him without hesitation, dodging as Snake jabbed his tail at him. When he was close, Snake would slash at him with his sharp claws while he disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind him, only to have to dodge again from either Snake's incoming tail, claws, or even a solid bite from his maw.

The wiry man disappeared once more only this time, Snake was ready for when he reappeared at his side, instantly wrapping him in his long tail. The man's face began to turn purple as the life was squeezed from him.

Acting on instinct, Dalton launched himself at Snake, only to have himself sized by the throat by his scaly hands and he to began to gasp for breath.

Then one of the dragon statues Asheera brought to life swooped from the sky and began to scratch at Snake's eyes. He instantly let both Dalton and the wiry man go and began to wave his hands frantically to get the thing off, which was soon joined by five more of the statues, all acting like miniature fighter pilots swooping diving out of the way of those sharp claws.

With the distraction, the man called for Dalton and Asheera to hurry and they once again began to run, while Snake battled with the mini dragon statues.

"Hurry" the man, yelled "just a few more lengths before we're in the clear".

As they neared the end of the wall, the wiry man fell back and grabbed their hands "hold on to me!" he said, "We're going to jump!"

"Wait, what?" Dalton asked but it was to late.

"Get ready" and before they could object, they were flying right off the castle wall, Asheera letting out an audible scream as they left the ground. The man twisted slightly in mid air and once again, the compressing darkness engulfed Dalton.

He was assaulted by the sound of a loud whirling engine and when he opened his eyes, they were inside a helicopter.

The man picked up a set of headsets "okay Doc, take us out of here".

Dalton quickly got up to look out the window, where they were beginning to climb higher and higher into the sky.

"Now where are we going?" Asheera asked him.

"Dunno" Dalton said "but I hope we'll get some answers when we get there".

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Louisville, USA_

It was nighttime when they pulled in Louisville. Clark found it nice that they no longer had to walk anymore, having acquired (meaning stolen) a car when they crossed into Kentucky. They had been driving all day, apparently determined to make it to London. Clark was still unsure how this would work, considering they had no money, on the run, and were probably being hunted at every turn. It all just seemed very flawed and easy for a mistake to happen.

They finally stopped when they reached Louisville, having need of gas since the car they stole was low on gas. Yuri began to pump gas into the truck while Catalina remained in the car and Clark walking around to stretch his legs.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Clark said after a moment.

"Its either that or we stay on the run forever" Yuri replied.

"Clark's right though" Catalina said "what we're talking about is breaking into some high ranking business building that you say is full of other people just like us and try to take down the head of this business? I'm sorry but it all sounds very dangerous".

"I know it's dangerous," Yuri said "but you have to understand. Unless this guy is taken out, not one of us will be safe from him".

"But still" Clark said, "It would be risking our lives". He walked over to the newspaper stands.

"Look" Yuri said, "You guys don't have to come".

"No way" Catalina said, "we can't just let you go alone, then you'd die for sure".

"Thanks Catalina" Yuri said.

"Who did you say was in charge of this company?" Clark asked.

"Lancaster" Yuri replied "why?"

"I don't think we have to go to London" Clark said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Cause he's going to be in New York".

"What?" Yuri asked, walking over to Clark.

"Look" he pointed into the box with the New York Times, where a small article was located at the bottom "it says here that Arthur Lancaster, head of Itex Corporation, will be arriving in New York this week for a very important business deal with several high ranking New York business men in order to further advance his already growing corporation, which is predicated to become one of the most powerful corporations in the world".

Yuri read the article a bit more before saying "son of a bitch" he said.

"Hey!" Catalina said, walking towards them "what's going on?"

"Another change of plans" Yuri replied.

"Really?" she asked, "where are we going now?"

"We're going to New York" he replied.

* * *

_Somewhere in Tokyo_

Dahlia was gnawing fervently at her fingertips, teetering slightly on her heels while Kara remained in the background, gazing off into space.

He lay stretched out on the table, still sleeping, his chest rising and falling softly.

He was slightly different when she last saw him, his face a bit shallower, a little bit skinnier, but other then that, he was the same Ben she remembered.

My love she thought it's been so long, so long, so long…

He gave a sudden grunt and his body spasm slightly. Dahlia let out a small gasp and took a step forward, like a small child approaching a sleeping giant.

"Ben?" she whispered softly.

His eyes suddenly shot open and his arm shot out at Dahlia's throat and pulling her in while she gasped for breath.

"M-my love!" she gasped "stop! I-its me! Its me!"

He was breathing heavily, his blood red eyes staring right into hers. She was slightly terrified, wondering what could have happened to his eyes, but she kept her cool and kept her gaze.

Then a slight understanding crossed him and he lessened his grip till she was able to pull away, coughing and sputtering, clutching her sore neck.

He raised himself slightly, rubbing his head. He looked down at his blood-drenched clothes, the wounds on his body a mess of bloodied flesh. He looked over at Dahlia, who was rubbing her hands together, staring at him.

"D-Dahlia?" he said in an uncertain voice, getting off the table on unsteady feet.

"Yes, yes my love it's me!" she flung herself out him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply.

After so long, both lovers had been reunited.


	22. The Other Organization

_Dalton Abbot- unknown location_

For hours they remained in that helicopter, all windows shielded so they couldn't look out. The wiry man, whose name turned out to be Jason, told them it was a security precaution.

"Don't worry folks," Jason said as he appeared from the captain's seat "should be reaching our base of operations in just a few minutes".

"Question" Asheera asked "if you can teleport yourself, why couldn't you just teleported us right to the base?"

"Well, here's the thing" Jason said, "my maximum length for teleporting is about a mile and for where we're heading, that ain't enough".

"Fascinating" she said.

Dalton felt the plane touch down on ground and the engines begin to die down. The doors opened up and a woman with red hair was there to greet them.

"Nice job Jason" she said, "see they made it one piece".

"Yeah but not without a bit of difficulty from Snake" he replied as they stepped out of the helicopter, Dalton looking around at a small landing dock with three other parked helicopters.

"Anyway, Dalton and Asheera correct?" she asked.

"Yes, that's us" he said, "Now would someone explain what exactly is going on?"

"Don't worry," she said, "Nola will explain everything. By the way, names Shelia"

"Pleasure to meet you" Asheera said as they exited the landing dock through a pair of double doors and into what appeared to be a large lobby area with tons of people crossing every which way.

"Oh, lets hurry!" Shelia said, "Before the elevator goes".

"All right, I'll see you two around" Jason said. Giving one last smile, he vanished in a flash of light.

They reached the elevator, which was already jammed pack with people and nearly all the buttons on the panel lit up.

"Hey Shelia" said an elderly woman.

"Hey ya Della" she said "how are you doing?"

"Oh okay I suppose" she said, "I'm still just getting used to all of this. Oh, are you new arrivals?" she said to Dalton.

"Um, not really" Dalton said.

"More like…visitors" Asheera finished.

"Oh, shame" the woman said as the elevator made a stop "well, I hope you do stay. It really is quite lovely here" she slipped past the other people in the elevator and got off. They continued to climb up until they reached the top floor, which opened up into the huge operating room.

"Unbelievable" Asheera whispered in aw.

"Lets see now, where is she" Shelia said as they walked into the room "oh there she is, Nola! Nola! Their here!"

"Oh thank goodness," she said walking over to them, accompanied by three other people. One of which happened to be the girl.

"Well, I do hope all of you are all right" Nola continued.

"Very" Dalton said, "Now can you please tell us what the fuck is going on?"

"Right" Nola said "uh, Richard, Shelia, I can take things from here".

"Okay, if you say so" she replied "come on Richard, let's go, we head down to the mess hall. I hear they have special éclairs for dessert" and the two quickly headed back to the elevator before it closed.

"All right then" she said "I believe you two already know Rika here" so that was her name Dalton thought. She bowed slightly to them, giving an embarrassed smile.

"And this here" she pointed to the other guy, a sandy haired guy "it Tyler. We picked him up back in Japan. He was scheduled to be…well, terminated".

"Hi" he said, walking forward and shaking Dalton's hand "so I take it your new with this?"

"Pretty much" Dalton replied "name's Dalton. This here is Asheera".

"Its nice to meet you" she said, shaking his hand as well.

"Come on!" Nola yelled for them "you want to know about us or no?"

"Right well" Asheera said, "We better get going".

They followed after Nola, except for Dalton and Rika. There was an awkward pause between them, he nor she not really knowing what to do. Then before he could decide, she quickly stepped forward and gave him a hug.

She pulled away, smiled again and then made a slight gaping motion with her mouth. For a second, Dalton thought something was wrong with her but then he realized she was trying to say something.

After a few inaudible noises, she was finally able to say something very slurred and muffled that sounded along the line as "Arigato", which Dalton assumed must have meant thank you.

He nodded his head "your welcome".

"Dalton!" Asheera yelled, "Hurry up!"

"Well" he said, "we better go".

She seemed to understand and the two of them walked over to where Nola was beginning to talk.

"So any-oh wait" she stopped "where is that translator? I asked for it about thirty minutes ago". She kept mumbling some more stuff about the translator before someone ran up to her and handed what appeared to the missing screen of a computer.

"Thank you," she said, "now, all it needs is a little tweaking" she held her palm open and placed it flat on the screen. Dalton began to hear small clicking and whirling sounds coming from within the device until Nola removed her hand and it stopped.

"Testing, testing" she spoke into a small speaker at the screen's side and after a brief pause Japanese writing appeared on the screen.

"Ah good" she said, "Here you go" she handed it to Rika, who looked slightly confused.

"This is a translator" she said "it will translate all I am saying into Japanese writing, okay?" words flickered on the screen and after a moment Rika nodded.

"Good" she said.

"Wait, what was that?" Asheera asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You did something to that device," she said.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, you all are new" Nola said in an embarrassed voice "well, I happen to be a technopath. You know, can manipulate technology?" everyone nodded.

"Ok, so enough about me" Nola said, "now, I am sure you are all aware that each one of you possesses a special ability, so to say, right?" everyone nodded again.

"Now, why this has happened, we don't know" but Asheera has a good idea though, Dalton thought.

"And, with these abilities, certain people have tried to…capture you" and again, everyone nodded.

"Well" Nola said, holding her hand to one of the computers "these people are all employed to a certain organization called Itex" on the screen, a bunch of images popped up like buildings, people, and some pictures of logos.

"And it is all run by this man, Arthur Lancaster" she pointed to the man "he, like us, has an ability. But as for what, we aren't sure".

"So why has this Lancaster guy been trying to kidnap us?" Tyler asked.

"Simple" she replied, "so that he can help you control your ability". Everyone looked at her in puzzlement.

"But" Asheera said "if he wants to help us, why has he been so forceful in his actions?"

"Because Asheera" she said "he believes that all of us, when we get our ability, are out of control people who want to harm others".

"And why believes something so ridiculous?" Asheera asked.

"It is simply what he believes" Nola said, "Now, that's just apart of the reason. The other reason is so he can control you and make you apart of his organization".

"And who's to say we'll join him?" Dalton asked.

"Oh believe me," Nola said, "he has some very persuasive ways" she paused for a moment.

"Finally" she said, "there is one last reason. So that he could…eliminate those he feel are too dangerous to keep alive". Everyone was silent.

"You mean, kill them?" Dalton asked.

"Yes" this time it was Tyler who said it "they were about to kill me as well before you guys rescued me".

"But, if he's one of us" Asheera said "why would he kill people like him?"

"Well, think of it like a dictatorship" Nola said "and Lancaster is the dictator, trying to control his people, deciding who lives and who dies, that sort of thing. And that is where we come in. we do what Lancaster does, except not resort to his methods. We not only try to bring in people like our own but also rescue those who Lancaster has deemed as to dangerous to live. Most of the people here were marked for death by Lancaster before we got them, including myself".

"So, do you guys have a name or anything?" Tyler asked "like Lancaster's little group?"

"Nope" Nola said, "we just haven't gotten around to naming ourselves and we actually think it fits to not give us a name. Makes us harder to track". It was then Rika raised her hand.

"Yes?" she asked. Rika pointed at the screen and then at her mouth.

"Oh don't worry" Nola said, "That's a touch screen. Just write what you want to say and it will translate it for you". Rika nodded and when the words vanished, she began to scribble something on the screen and handing it to Nola. She looked at the screen for a moment.

"What did she ask?" Tyler said.

"She wanted to know who was the man who tried to kill her," she said.

"And, do you?" Dalton asked.

"As a matter of fact, we do" Nola placed her hand on the screen and another image appeared. This one was a picture of a very handsome man with short brown hair and a pair of sparkling blue eyes. At first, Dalton thought it must have been a mistake. For one, the eyes, they weren't blood red and he seemed so nice.

"This…is him?" Asheera asked in a stunned voice, obviously as thrown off as he was.

"Yes" Nola said "this is Benjamin Tania or as the cops have referred to him as the Cranial Killer. And until a few months ago, he used to be employed to Mr. Lancaster".

"So, he's Lancaster's?" Dalton asked.

"No" Nola said, "I already said he used to be".

"Meaning he was fired?" Tyler asked.

"Precisely" Nola said "and, here's a nice little twist, when he worked at the company he was poised to take over the company".

This one really got Dalton "he was…going to run the company?"

"Yep" Nola said, gazing at the others shocked faces "that is, until Lancaster fired him and then he disappeared off the map…that is, until the killings started". She paused and let more pictures pop up on the screen.

"All these people are his victims," she said "and, like us, they were superhuman".

"Why is killing them?" Asheera asked "why is he after us? Some sort of revenge towards Lancaster for letting him go? To kill off the people he wanted".

"No" Nola said, "You see, we believe that…he is stealing powers from these people". Now this one really got Dalton.

"B-but" Asheera said, "How can he do that? It just doesn't seem possible".

"We're not sure," Nola said "but we believe it has something to do with his power. See, he is a mimicker, meaning he can copy other superhuman powers for a short time. But somehow, he's seemed to have expanded his ability and can now permanently take a person's ability. And again, we don't know how. What we do know is, he has killed thirteen people so far, that's thirteen possible powers but the only one's we know for sure he has are psychic abilities, wind manipulation, super strength, density manipulation-".

Before she could continue, the large screen suddenly began to make bleeping noises and a flashing red dot appeared on a part of the USA.

"What's happening?" exclaimed Tyler.

"Nola!" someone yelled from the computers "it's the Leachman kid, we've found him! And it seems so has Lancaster's cronies".

"Where at?" Nola said in a commanding voice, walking over to who shouted the discovery.

"Just a few miles over the Ohio border" the person continued.

"Get a team out there right now!" Nola yelled "if they catch that kid, its almost certain death!"

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- Southern Ohio _

After they gassed up, they immediately went back to driving. Yuri was in the drivers seat while Clark was soundly sleeping in the passenger's seat and Catalina in the back. They were so far in the middle of a stretch of deserted road dotted hear and they're with a few trees and bushes.

"Yuri, you sure you don't want me to drive?" Catalina asked.

"I'm fine" he said, "Really, I can got a few more hours". Looking at the clock, he saw it was glowing a faint 2:34.

"Yuri" Catalina said, "Do you really think that…taking out Lancaster will fix all of this?"

"I'm sure" Yuri said, "I mean, it will fix me and Clark, but…I'm not sure about you Catalina". She nodded.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to-"

"No, its okay" Catalina said "I mean, as far as I know Lancaster has no idea about me. Then again, having a debt to a Argentinean drug lord doesn't seem much better".

"Yes, about that" Yuri said, "What exactly were you thinking? Getting in with a drug ring?"

"Stupid decision, I guess" she said "we were desperate for money and it seemed like the best idea".

"And" he continued, "Those pills…are they, all out now?"

"Pretty sure" she said, "haven't seen one in awhile, so they must be". There was a brief pause.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked "after…all this?"

She shook her head "I don't know" she said, "I mean, who's to say me and my family will ever be safe as long as Alvarez is alive".

Yuri didn't say anything for a moment "I wish I could help you".

She smiled "that's very kind".

All of a sudden, I violent force hit them on the side, causing the car to swerve sharply, Catalina to be flung across the seat, Clark to knock his head hard on the glass, and Yuri to hold on tightly to steady the car.

"What's going on?" Clark said in a groggy voice, rubbing his soar head.

"What was that?" Catalina asked and yet Yuri figured he already knew. Looking at the rearview mirror, he saw it was Heavymetal, riding a sleek looking motorcycle and his arm morphed into a giant wrecking ball.

"They've found us!" Yuri exclaimed and he punched down on the gas pedal but Heavymetal was already on him and he swung once again at the truck. The force hit and the truck swerved violently.

"Look!" Clark exclaimed, pointing out the window and Yuri's hopes plummeted. Right outside, was a large helicopter and standing at the entrance was Snare giving them an evil smile. Then Yuri looked out the other window and spotted another helicopter on their other side. They were trapped.

"Everyone hold on!" Yuri yelled and he pushed the accelerator to the limit, trying to get away.

Once again, another blow from Heavymetal rocked the car, followed by another, the side of the car crumpling further.

"Catalina!" Yuri yelled, "We need a shield up!"

A few moments later and a large opaque bubble appeared around them. He looked in the mirror to see Heavymetal flick him off and fall back.

"Keep it up Catalina!" Yuri said. All of a sudden, a blast fired from the other helicopter and exploded on the road, causing it to steam and liquefy. Acid Yuri thought and at the speed he was going he couldn't turn in time. They hit it full force and they heard the sickening sound of tires being eaten away and the car beginning to become more and more violent until the shaking was so great Catalina lost her concentration and the shield disappeared.

A loud thud from above told them someone had jumped onto the car and the next instant, a long metallic looking blade pierced through the roof, nearly slicing off Catalina's foot. Heavymetal was now on top of them

"Shit!" Yuri swore. Another stab and this time it sliced Catalina's arm, causing her to scream in pain. He tried to get the Heavymetal off them but the car was so jerking so bad, it took all he could just to keep it from going off the road.

He stabbed again, Catalina moving just in time. He then stabbed again and this time almost hitting Yuri who was so off guard he lost control for a moment and the car began to swerve violently. He grabbed the wheel and steadied it once more.

Then two long hooks pierced the top and ripped a huge chunk of the roof off and Heavymetal looking in.

"Hey buddy, long time no see" he said in a gleeful voice, his arm morphing again into the long sword like appendage "this won't hurt one bit!" he raised his weapon but Catalina fired a shield at him, making him lose his balance and topple from the roof. But he wasn't done yet, for using his still hooked appendage he latched on to the side of the car.

He pierced his appendage through the side, Catalina diving under the seat before it got her.

"Fucker, get off this truck!" he quickly turned in his seat and fired a blast of ice at the side door, causing it to blow off completely and for Heavymetal to be sent sprawling in the dirt.

"Nice shot!" Clark exclaimed. Just then, something exploded right next to the car, causing Yuri to momentarily loose control. He watched as the both the helicopters close in on them, Snare at one and another guy at the other, his hands glowing slightly red. Yuri sensed where this was going.

"Catalina!" he yelled.

Snare fired his whips and the other fired a red beam. Quickly, Catalina formed a shield on one side of the car but she wasn't face enough for the other. The whips crashed through the window and wrapped themselves around Clark and acting like some sort of fisherman, Snare began to reel Clark in.

"No!" both Yuri and Catalina yelled. The force field died away and Catalina lunged at Clark's leg before he was pulled out. The other man fired another beam, hitting the car and causing an audible explosion that rocked the vehicle.

"Hold on Catalina!" yelled Yuri.

The man kept on firing, the car getting rock with each explosion and Yuri frantically trying to steady the car and keep Catalina inside as she clung to Clark, who was clawing at the ropes to get free.

Catalina fired a force field at the helicopter but it swooped out of the way and gave a tug that nearly sent her out of the window.

"Fuck!" Yuri yelled in frustration. Another blast from the beams and the car swerved violently. He spotted another man reappeared at the open door, smiling devilishly. He wound up and fired a glob of yellowish liquid.

"Catalina!" he yelled. She fired one more field at the other helicopter and using her free hand, erected a shield on the other side of the truck just in time. The glob splattered on the field and began to smear all along the road, burning holes into the pavement. She instantly turned back to Clark and grabbed his leg, the shield dissapearing.

After a moment, the man wound up again and fired.

"Catalina!" Yuri yelled. But this time, she wasn't fast enough. She brought up the shield to late and a large chunk of the acid hit the side car, instantly beginning to eat away at the metal and produce a sickining hissing noise.

They were severely outnumbered and unless they did something fast, they were as good as dead. Risking it, Yuri let go of one hand on the wheel and fired shot of ice at the helicopter. They obviously saw this and the beam guy fired just as it reached them. Yuri fired again and quickly grabbed the wheel again as it began to swerve and fired again, repeating this process over and over but it wasn't doing much good. Any chance he got, they would fired down his attack and send another pounding into the side of the truck.

Even though Yuri wasn't aware of it, Clark finally managed to tap into his powers. His eyes instantly lit up and the next moment, the helicopter with Snare on it burst into flames and the threads slithered off him. Fortunately, he was free but unfortunately, he was still dangling from a speeding car.

Yuri saw the copter burst into flames and sighed a bit of relief. Catalina held on tight to Clark's legs as his head hung mere inches from the speeding ground.

"Pull him up!" Yuri cried and without hesitating, he used this momentary distraction. He let go of the wheel entirely and fired the strongest beam he could muster. It shot at the copter and hit dead on, freezing the blades almost instantly and it began to fall to the ground.

He grabbed hold of the wheel and twisted sharply to prevent the car from going of the road while Catalina was able to pull Clark back into the truck.

"Did we lose them?" Catalina asked, looking out the window.

"I think so" Yuri replied "but lets not get our hopes up yet". They continued at the speed they were going for a few more minutes until they were absolutely sure that they had lost them, only then did Yuri slow down.

The car was badly wrecked. Half of the roof was gone as well as the right side of the truck. The other side was heavily dented and scared from all the beams it had taken with a large gapping hole that was still being eaten by acid. The windows were shattered, leaving glass sprinkled across the floor and the windshield was badly cracked. The seats had large puncture marks from where Heavymetal had stabbed and the car was now moving at a slouchy pace, the tires by now having nearly been eaten off. But, the good thing is, they were still alive.

"Man" Clark said, "We need to get a new car".

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- unknown location_

"We lost him," the man at the desk said.

"How far are we from him?" Nola asked.

"To far away" he replied, "by the time we get there, they will probably be gone already".

She sighed in defeat "call them back".

Tyler watched as the blinking dot disappeared and the beeping noise subsided. What was that all about? He thought, who is this Leachman kid?

"What was that?" the woman named Asheera asked.

"I can explain that as well" Nola said "this screen up here, one of my own inventions, is designed to pick up on any superhuman anywhere in the world. Problem is, I haven't really worked out all the bugs in this thing yet. Seems it can only pick up when there powers are actually being used, not track them twenty four seven like Lancaster's assistant can".

"Who?" Dalton asked.

"Lancaster's assistant" Nola repeated "she can detect all the superhuman's in the world and with one quick scan, she can gather information on them like there abilities, names, age, that sort of stuff. Believe me, before I worked out the cloaking device over this place, we had to constantly keep changing our base".

"But what of this Leachman kid?" Tyler asked "why did he work all of you into a frenzy when you found him?"

Nola smiled "now, that's the million dollar question of the day". She turned to the computer and began to work her magic.

"For a few days now" she said "it seems that Lancaster has set his sights on a new target. And it is this teenager, Clark Leachman from Commerce Township, USA". She pulled up the kid's profile.

"Now" she said, "have you all heard of the explosion that took place in Detroit last Friday?" Tyler shook his head, having not heard of any news since he was first taken hostage.

"Well, for those of you who don't" she pulled up another image of a ravaged city block "an explosion took place in Detroit at approximately 8:42 PM, destroying nearly seven city blocks and killing twenty nine people in the process. Now, at that moment, the computer detected a massive energy spike happen within the confines of the city. We tracked the signal and found it was Leachman's doing".

"Whoa" Tyler said.

"Wait" Asheera said, "He destroyed nearly seven city blocks?"

"Yes" Nola said "but we believe it was out of self defense cause during that time, we also detected another superhuman in the city. And guess who we found out it was? Ben Tania".

"So he was after this Clark person?" Asheera asked.

"Yes" she said, "fortunately he managed to escape and Ben decided to rethink his strategy and you all know how that turned out". Once again, except for Tyler.

"However" Nola said, "we don't think that Ben is quite done yet with him".

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"Its not like Ben to let one of his victims get away" she said "we think that he's biding his time, gathering more powers so when he next goes after Leachman, things will go more his way". She paused for a moment

"Now" she said "because of his actions, he has become Lancaster's number one enemy and has been marked for death".

"And you're trying to save him right?" Dalton asked.

"Yes" she said "and also, to protect others. Leachman's powers are growing at a geometric rate, faster then we could have ever predicted, and if we can't find a way to help him control his rapidly growing powers, it will be…catastrophic, to say the least".

"But then, how will you do it?" Asheera asked, "If what you have said so far, you are all at a very serious disadvantage".

"That's why we need your help" Nola said, "right now, we have pushed all our limits to the fullest with trying to keep up with Lancaster's other dealings and tracking down Ben that we haven't been able to commit our fullest to the Leachman kid. This is where you all come in". She gave everyone a very serious look.

"What is it you have us do?" Tyler asked.

Nola straightened herself up to the fullest "right now, Leachman is a walking time bomb and unless we intervene first, it will end in disaster not only for us but maybe even the whole world. We're going to be working around the clock trying to located Leachman again and when we do, we need you all to go and get him". No one spoke, all either giving her blank stares or still in shock about the mission in general.

"This is a tough choice," she said "and I do not want you all to feel forced into it. I will give you all two days to think of your decision" Nola stopped and looked at Rika.

"Rika" she said, "you do not have to do this if you don't want you. If you would much rather stay here with us, we can easily provide you with a home here" Rika scribbled something on the translator and handed it to Nola. She looked at it for a moment before handing it back.

"I'm sorry Rika" she said "but we cannot have your father come stay with us. As you know, he is currently employed to the enemy and bringing him here may jeopardize our whole organization" Rika was obviously saddened by the news and she hung her head.

"I'm sorry" Nola said "now" she put her hand to the computer and the printer next to it began to whirl up and print out something.

"This is a map for the entire place" she said, handing each a sheet "it will show you where everything is and how to get there, each of your rooms colored red for an easier find. You can wander around all you like and go wherever you please. Food is always ready in the mess hall, so feel free to anything. Now, I have to be back to work, I will await your decision" she then turned and headed off for another part of the room.

Dalton and Asheera began to walk towards the elevator, both talking in anxious voices. Tyler looked over to still see Rika looking distraught. He walked over and put an arm around her, she looking up in surprise.

"Don't worry," he said, "everything is going to work out well, okay?" she looked at him with uncertain eyes.

"Come on" he said "we should go and eat something, cause right now I could eat a whale, whaddya say?" after a moment, Rika wrote something and handed it to Tyler, the message reading _that seems like a good idea._

"All right then" Tyler said, "Lets see what kind of food this place has".

* * *

**Authors note: keep the reviews coming!**


	23. Mind of the Killer

_Central Intelligence Agency- Langley, Virginia_

Angela was buys at work, pouring over all the previous files they had on the Cranial Killer. She was looking for any indication of a connection between the killer and Itex Corporation. So far, she had found no such connection between the two, and if she had those papers she asked Dawson to find, she might have a better time finding the connection.

The door to her office opened and in walked Dawson with a stack of papers. Finally she thought.

"All right" he said, placing the large pile on her desk "every single current and former employer to the Itex Corporation, starting at the top with the high rankers and working our way to the bottom with the janitors and stuff. And, this I deserve a raise on" he pulled out a very thick purple file case and set it next to the other pile.

"Viola" he said "a complete, detailed look at the Itex Corporations dealings, businesses, and financial history".

"I have to say," she said "I'm impressed Dawson. Maybe you should get a raise".

"Bout time" he said.

"Don't push it now" she said, "all right, this is obviously going to take some time. So" she got up from her chair and began to rearrange the pile until it was separated into five different piles.

"I will take these," she said "and you take the rest of these" she handed them to Dawson.

"Now I want everyone on my force on this" she said "look through every profile, every characteristics, and have them write out any information that has something to do with Itex dealings, killings, recent history, anything that will help us. Clear?"

"Got it mame" he said, taking the pile in his arms. Before he left he turned back to Angela.

"By the way" he said, "I had to cut through a lot of tape to get those files. So if I were you, I would be careful of whom you show that to".

"Ominous much?" she asked.

"I'm just saying" he said "we didn't necessarily get that information without going under the law".

"I see"

"Well, happy hunting" and then he left.

The first thing Angela reached for was the purple file. She rifled through the pages, looking up at every facet of the Corporation. It seemed that they really weren't just a real estate deal. Dig a little deeper and you would find out that the Corporation also has dealings in Military Tactics, Pharmaceutical needs, British, American, and Japanese politics, research and development, and the one that most disturbed her, Bio weaponry.

She flipped to the section on Bio weaponry. It seemed that most of it dealt with a certain genetic code, found in about fewer then 2 of the human population. The finding of this code has, from what the report stated, lead to rapid cellular evolution until the subjects reached such a leave they posses 'abnormal' abilities. To Angela, it sounded like a bunch of bullshit. But reading further, she found that research had been conducted on some of these people, resulting in…unnecessary circumstances.

It was very obvious something more was going on in the Corporation but right now, Angela had matters to tend to. Itex will be dealt with, in dew time, but not until she finds her killer.

She began to rifle through the profiles, skimming over all the information looking for anything that connected to the case. After ten files, no leads. Twenty more, maybe a few possible connections but still not hard enough proof. Thirty pages in, still any real leads. By now, she had reached the last few files and still had nothing. She hoped the others had better luck then she did.

She picked up the next file, with a picture of a handsome man named Benjamin Tania. She began to look through his file and immediately found something interesting. It seemed that Tania was very high up in Itex's standings; by the looks of it he was poised to take over after Lancaster. Then, for some reason, he was fired and this is what got her. It seemed he was fired nearly two and half months ago, only a few weeks before the first murder took place. Angela's interests were peaked. She kept reading the file, trying to find out more about Tania.

It seemed Tania was one of the first people to come into the Itex Corporation and quickly working his way up. He appeared to have been Lancaster's right hand man, cause according to the file he appeared at nearly every important press junket, business deals, and even during the founding of the Tokyo and New York headquarters. If Angela was mistaken, she would say that they appeared to be the best of friends. Only a few seconds later and she found another interesting fact. It seemed the Tania happened to contain the same genetic coding mentioned in the previous file. Now, Angela was excited. I think I might have found my lead.

She quickly sift through the rest of the file until she came to the very end. It seemed after his firing, he moved to a remote town in Argentina. A town that happened to be just a few miles away from the first killing!

That sealed it for her. She had her lead and she was determined to follow it. She packed the file and the Itex report and making her way out of her office. As she made her way across the room, Dawson came running up to her.

"Hey" he said, "so we got a few leads-"

"Later Dawson" she said "I need a plane ticket for the nearest town with an airport in Argentina near this place" she handed him the location.

"What?" he asked in a confused voice.

"I think I've found a lead" she said "a big one and I need to investigate it".

"How big?" he asked.

"Big" she replied.

* * *

_Somewhere in Tokyo _

There were always the rumors concerning the Shafer sisters. One rumor said that when they were young, Dahlia's father raped her and that Kara could only watch as he did it, leading her to never talk again. Another rumor said that the girls were witches and used to practice magic in there homes. And another rumor told that they weren't really sisters at all but really one person pretending to be two people. And finally, one most peculiar rumor concerned the sisters murdering spree. Some said that there was one more person involved in the killings and that no one has ever been able to find him or her.

Well, as many people know, rumors can only be just rumors or fabrications of real events. It is true that Dahlia was raped but not by her father but some street mugger. As for Kara, it was already known that she was a mute the moment she was born. As for the sisters being witches, another wild story published by an obscure magazine. And as for the whole one person pretending to be two people. Only if you believed the made for TV movie based on the sisters.

But as for the last rumor, that one was true. For the third killer was Dahlia's boyfriend, Ben Tania. Though, to the public, it is still just a rumor.

The two now stood looking out over the Tokyo skyline, Kara hanging in the shadows of the ajar door. Ben looked down at the still fresh wounds, wondering to himself how he could have survived.

"Where have you been?" Dahlia asked.

"Around" he replied.

"You said you'd get us out," she said.

"I said a lot of things" he said, "I just got sidetracked, that's all". He rubbed his blood red eyes, wincing slightly from the touch.

"For nearly a year?" she asked.

"Things happened" he replied. Silence descended on them, Ben looking out over the twinkling lights of Tokyo. Fools he thought, all so oblivious with their everyday meaningless lives. Fools, all of them, simple, weak, fools. But there time will soon come, when the new order comes, they will learn their place.

"I still have things I need to do," he said after a moment.

Dahlia looked at him "you can't be serious?"

"I am," he said.

"But, what about all the things we promised once we saw each other?" she said, clinging to his arm "what about the life we wanted?"

"And we will" he said in a assuring "but right now, there are still people I need to find".

"Why is this so important to you?" she asked.

"Because" he said "all those people, our people, they don't deserve the gifts they've been given. They aren't like us. There miserable in there lives, weak, disillusioned, so intent on living these lives that they've created, never doing anything to change it. But not me, I am doing what they are too afraid of doing. I am taking action, I am doing the things Lancaster has been too afraid of doing. I am bringing the order to this world and I will let no one stand in my way, not even you".

Dahlia looked at him with shock in her eyes. She did not say anything to him for the longest time, still clutching his arm, both their eyes locked onto one another.

"Then we must do it," she said after a moment "if this is the only way for us to be happy, then it must be done".

"Are you certain?" he asked her.

"Yes I'm certain!" she cried, "Me and sissy will do whatever it takes. If the filth of this world needs to be dealt with, then so be it!"

Ben smiled "that's the Dahlia I remembered".

"Oh, my love!" she then threw herself into his arms and kissed him heavily before they pulled away.

"We must get started," he said.

"Of course" she replied, "come sissy, we're leaving!" she ran over to Kara and pulled her over.

"Hold on to me" he said. Dahlia grasped his arm, a manic smile now on her face. She felt a slight leaping sensation and before she knew it, they had taken off into the sky, the wind now rushing past them, Dahlia's hair whipping wildly in the air.

The first ability he ever got. It took him ages to figure out the exact way, researching for months on that preserved brain in that god-awful shack but he finally found the way. To bad he couldn't have thanked Rika when he had the chance, her mother's brain really did help him in the end.

* * *

_Unnamed town, Argentina _

"Wow" Dawson said, "Talk about rural". Rural wasn't even close. Not only did this town had no name but it was secluded all the way up in the mountains, forcing Dawson and Angela to endure a three hour wagon ride up to this place, which consisted of nothing but dirt roads, ram shackle houses, and extremely tattered looking people.

"No kidding," she said, "come on, let's just find his house and get this over with".

They walked down the road, keeping away from the all of needy sellers until they reached the end of the road, which branched off into the rainforest. She looked at the directions on the paper and took the right road. It only took them a few more minutes before they arrived at a crudely made looking cottage. Parts of the roof were missing and the windowpanes were clear of glass. The wood was rotted and it seemed a great deal of plant life had begun to grow on the place.

"This is it?" Dawson asked.

"By the looks of the photo, this is the place" she replied.

"Why would a man who used to work for some powerful company want to move all the way out in the middle of nowhere?" he asked as they climbed the creaky porch.

"To hide" she said simply. She pulled out her gun and placed her hand on the rusted knob.

"Cover Me," she said.

She twisted it slowly and pushed the door open, the hinges squeaking slightly. Keeping her gun raised, she entered the place.

The many holes from the roof sent criss crossing patterns of light across the small area. In one corner was a crude bed with dirty blankets, an old table that still had plates and glasses set in place, a bookcase lined with old books and science equipment, and finally, a long bench that stretched from one wall that was littered with papers, objects, and dark stains that greatly resembled blood. Taking another sweep of the room, she holstered her weapon.

"Its clear" she said to Dawson.

He entered the a few moments later "nice place he has here" he said.

"All right" she said, "take a look around, find anything of value". He nodded and headed over to the bed area while Angela immediately went over to the bench.

It seemed that most of the papers were a bunch of scientific gibber dotted with a few hastily scrawled notes on the side. As she kept on looking, she noticed the fine layer of dust had accumulated over the table. It was apparent that no one had been here for quite some time.

As she worked her way down, she came across a large jar, a long crack running down its side and a small amount of greenish liquid still at the bottom. Bending down slightly, she saw a tag was tapped around it. The large part of it was illegible; the only word that wasn't entirely worn away seemed to have been a last name. Ichikawa.

Hmm she thought, Ichikawa? Wasn't that the last name of that one girl? The one whose father worked for Itex?

"Dawson" she said, "come here".

"Find something?" he asked.

"Yes" she said, "look at this".

He squinted to read the label "Ichikawa, ain't he one of those Itex folk?"

"Exactly" she said.

"Why does this jar have his name on it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure" she said "but whatever was in it, Tania was certainly very interested in it" then a light bulb went of in her head.

"She was the target," she said to herself.

"Sorry?" Dawson asked.

"That Ichikawa girl" she said, "the one who's missing, she was Tania's target! That's why the victim didn't match the others, because he wasn't after him! Someone got in the way!"

"That's a very nice assumption" Dawson said "but it still doesn't explain why this jar has Ichikawa on it. I don't see any other jars with his other victims names on them".

"Maybe so" she said "but its still a good theory. All right, gather everything, call to headquarters, and tell them to get a lock on Tania. Leave no stone unturned, as of right now, he could be after his next victim".

"Right" Dawson said. The two began to gather all of the strewn out papers, stacking them into neat piles. Then Angela phoned in to headquarters, letting Dawson finish up his work. When she had given the go, she hung up her phone.

For a moment, something caught her eye from the bookcase. As she looked closer, she noticed that light was shinning through one of the cracks. Something was beyond this door. She grasped the side of it and gave a tug, feeling the shelf move jerkily towards her and a hidden opening become bigger and bigger.

"Angela, what are you-?" but Dawson stopped when he saw the hidden room. It was small, barely bigger then a bathroom, but to Angela, it was all the proof she needed.

A huge map of the world was tacked to the wall and on it was pictures of people from all over the globe. As Angela looked closer, she saw that some were the pictures of his victims. Nearly a hundred faces tacked to the wall, all of them the people he sought to kill.

It took Angela to notice to large words scrawled over the globe. Huge letters painted in blood, which read:

ALL SHALL SUCCUMB TO ME 

"Proof enough for you?" she asked Dawson.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia- Unknown location _

"Yep" she said, "there is a Clark Leachman on the list". The two were now in Asheera's room, both wanting to discuss the matter of Nola's agreement. As for Tyler and Rika, they were still getting something to eat and for Asheera, there was no time to waste.

"So what do you think?" he asked, "Should we accept her offer?"

"If what she said is true," Asheera said, "we have three factions of people going after this kid. One faction is Lancaster's; whom we know wants to kill him. The others being this Ben person, who not only wants to kill him but take his powers as well. Finally, we have us, who want to save him from the other factions and help him control his powers".

"So should we?" he asked.

"I don't know Dalton" she said, "everything just seems to be going so fast. What we are doing is deciding if we want to enter a dangerous race, a race not only to find an unstable superhuman but also stand against a multi-national organization and a super powered serial killer. It just seems so…"

"Big?" he finished.

"Precisely" she said.

"But isn't this what we originally planned?" he asked, "to save people like us? To rescue those who are in trouble? Not only that but now we have some help. So I'd say that's a pretty good deal".

"But Dalton" she said, "this is different. We aren't heroes!"

"So what?" he said, "People become heroes all the time, ordinary people just like you and me". Asheera wanted to argue but she couldn't find the words. She tapped her foot and drummed her fingers on the bedpost.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa _

Rika was barely touching her food. She wasn't that hungry but she thought maybe eating something would take her mind off things. Why dad? She thought to herself, why didn't you tell me? All this time, her father had been living a double life and never once did he tell her anything. Did mom know? She wondered.

Tyler returned to the table a few minutes later, a tray of food in his arms. Rika was still picking at her food, lost in her own thoughts. The translator next to her flickered slightly and writing appeared.

_You all right?_ She realized Tyler was talking to her. She took the translator and scribbled out a message, saying she was fine.

_Don't look like your fine_ he said.

Rika sighed and wrote _its just…I can't believe he never told me._ She handed him the message, which he responded with a nod and began to say something, words flickering onto the screen.

_Well, considering the type of work he's involved in, you can't really blame him._ Rika nodded and yet she still didn't feel any better. After a moment, she wanted to know more about Tyler. So she quickly wrote a message and handed it to him. He smiled slightly and began to talk.

_From Sydney, born and raised. Live with my friends, no job, parents divorced, surf most of the time, school drop out, and besides my little ability, nothing much more really. _He paused before continuing _so, what exactly is your ability?_

_me?_ she scribbled _mine's astral projection. I can leave my body in some ghost form, so to say, and if i want to, i can enter people's bodies and control them._

_Really? _he said _that sounds cool, better then mine anyway._

_What's your ability? _She asked him.

_I guess you can call it shape shifting. I transform into this…this…well, this thing basically._

_What kind of thing?_

There was a small pause. _I don't know. This…beast, so to say._ Looking at his face, Rika saw how uncomfortable he was talking about. So she decided to change the subject.

_How did they find you?_

_Well, they rescued me from Lancaster, before he had the chance to off me._ There was a brief pause on the screen before it flickered back again.

You know, I met your father 

Rika looked up at him in surprise. She looked back at the screen to see she wasn't hallucinating but it seemed Tyler really did just say he had met her father.

_How?_ She asked.

_When I was there at the Itex place, he came to talk to me. Said that they could help me, told me he was here to help me. He seemed nice._

_Did he say anything else?_

_Not really._ Rika nodded and reluctantly took a bite of her sandwich. It took her a moment to notice the new set of words appear on the screen.

_So what are you going to do? Stay here?_

Rika had been thinking about it. Since it was likely that she wouldn't be going home any time soon, she figured the best thing to do was to stay here. But then, there was a part of her that wanted to go. Not just to help this kid but maybe find some answers as well. If her father really was apart of Itex's whole scheme, she at least wanted to know why. So what was she to do?

After a moment, she wrote something on the translator and handed it to Tyler, on the device it read _I'm not sure yet._

* * *

_Okinawa, Japan_

The voice had told Ben to go to Okinawa, where he will find another superhuman. The voice had been with him now for two years now. It had been the voice that had guided him through the ranks of Itex, it had been the voice who helped him through his research, it had been his voice that guided him to the superhuman's, the voice was his lifeline, the voice was his seer, the voice was power.

Ben wasn't sure what the voice was, nor where it had come from but either way, it had helped him in everyway and as long as it was helpful, why get rid of it?

Right now, the three were outside the mans house. Ben stood gazing in on the man as he watched television from the living room. X-ray vision, something he picked up from a woman in Mexico, really came in handy when people tried to run.

Must wait, wait till he sleeps. Then we strike.

The voice was speaking to him again. He nodded to himself and turned to Dahlia, her eyes wide in excitement, kneading her hands furiously. It was how she got before a kill commenced.

"Ready?" he said.

"Yes my love" she said, kissing him softly "let us go".

"Follow Me," he said.

He calmly got to his feet and strolled up to the door and using his powers, ripped it off its hinges. He heard the man yelp in surprise and he quickly strolled in, the man quickly trying to get up, speaking in rapid Japanese.

Get him.

He quickly raised his hand and he was sent flying across the room until he hung suspended against the wall. Now it was time for the kill.

By far, his most useful prize had been the telekinesis. He got it from his first victim, a lowly street urchin. Such a waste of a human for such incredible powers. It had now become his signature ability, so to say, and it made his kills a hell of a lot easier. First time he did it, he had to go the old fashion way. It was messy, sloppy, and took hours to do. But now with these powers, all that hard work could be accomplished in just a few minutes.

"I wonder what powers you have" Ben said in a cool voice. He slowly approached the man, his eyes wide in fear, his mouth flubbing like a fish. When he was close enough, he leaned his head forward and closed his eyes.

A few moments later, he opened them again "so, you have elasticity huh? I'd like to see that". Stepping back a bit, he held his hand out and began to tug at one of his arms. Sure enough, as he pulled, it began to stretch like taffy.

"Interesting" he said, "wonder how that will work on me?" he raised his finger and pointed at his head. The man soon began to scream in pain and thrash his head madly, blood beginning to pour from his eyes.

NO!

He stopped suddenly, alarmed at how loud the voice yelled, the man gasping in relief when the pain suddenly stopped.

Don't kill! Don't kill!

What do you mean? He asked it, what madness do you speak?

The sister! Bring the sister!

The sister? Kara? Why do I need her?

Must do it, must be done.

"My love?" Dahlia asked as she stood near the doorway "what is wrong?"

"Get Kara," he hissed.

"What?" she asked.

"I said get Kara and bring her to me! Is that so difficult!" Dahlia yelped slightly.'

"Yes, yes of course me love. I'm sorry" she disappeared out of the room and Ben swung his arm in frustration, the wall splintering slightly as a large gash appeared on the wall.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded to the voice "why will you not let me kill him? Answer me!"

Dahlia appeared a few moments later, Kara in her arms, her face still devoid of emotion.

Use her, use her!

Use her? What can she do?

"I got her my love" Dahlia said "I got her, just like you said!"

But how do I use her? How do I?

But he need not say anything, for Kara began to walk towards the man.

"Sissy! Sissy, what are you doing?"

she approached him, stopping when she was inches from his face. She slowly raised her head, her eyes seemingly dead. Then the man stopped his whimpering and fell silent, a strange look crossing his face, his eyes seemingly dead.

Let him down.

He did so and yet the man did not run. He simply stood there with that stupid look on his face, as if he were a zombie or something.

But as Ben concentrated more, he was able to sense something inside Kara. Mind control.

His eyes suddenly lit up and a smile crossed his lips. I see now, he thought, I see your plan now.

"My love?" Dahlia asked, "What is it?"

"It seems we have a change in plans" Ben said.

"What?" she said in surprise.

"Kara's ability" he said "can it work on more then one person at a time?"

"Huh?" she asked, "um…yes! Yes it can!"

"Why did you never tell me how gifted your sister was?" he asked her, walking over to Kara.

"I'm sorry me love" she said, "It began only a few weeks after you left". He nodded slightly, looking at Kara with hungry eyes.

"My love?" Dahlia asked again.

"it seems my destiny has come at last" Ben said, "The time has come for Itex to become mine. And soon, the world will be mine".

* * *

_Clark Leachman- Border of Ohio and West Virginia_

Dawn was slowing approaching, the sun just breaking over the horizon. They had been traveling all night now, not stopping for anything in fear that they might come back again. Clark yawned and rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes. They had made sure to keep to the more deserted roads as to avoid attention, considering the pile of junk they were riding in.

"There's a motel up ahead" Catalina said, "We should stop there and get some rest".

"We can't stop" Yuri said, "we stop and they'll find us".

"And if we don't, we'll be tired and easier to catch" Catalina said "lets just stop and get a little bit of rest".

"I'm up for that" Clark said.

With a vote of two to one, Yuri had no choice but to pull up to the motel. Luckily, there were only two other cars here. Looking around, I noticed a road sign up ahead saying welcome to West Virginia. We must be on the border he thought. One estimate, it should take them about two more days to get to New York, that is if they kept going at a steady pace.

Clark still couldn't believe this Lancaster guy was really out for him. But after what happened in Detroit, he couldn't blame him either. Yuri and Catalina didn't know this but…Clark felt he was losing control of his powers and not just when he got angry or anything but any type of situation. When that guy was trying to pull Clark in, he felt something unleash inside him, something he did not have anything to do with. And when he tried to shut it off, it wouldn't. It took him all of his strength to get it under control again but it was a scary experience nonetheless.

Maybe it was just best for Lancaster to kill him.

Using the last of Yuri's money, they got themselves a room, a very shabby room but a room either way.

"I think I'm going to take a shower, I feel disgusting" Catalina said.

"same here" Clark replied.

"I'll be outside, keeping watch" Yuri said, walking out the door.

"you wanna use the shower first?" Catalina asked.

"no, you go" Clark said "I think I'll get some sleep first". She nodded and headed into the bathroom while Clark lay down on the lumpy mattress. Soon, he heard the sound of the shower turn on, a calming drum almost like rain. He began to close his eyes, ready for some rest. Then he heard the door knock.

Snapping his eyes open, he got up. Who could that be? He thought. At first, he thought Yuri but why would he knock when he had the key?

Cautiously, he got up and walked to the door, ready for any Itex goons who tried to jump him. He grasped the handle and quickly opened the door, his mouth dropping. For standing at the door was the last person he'd ever except to find.

"Vince!"


	24. The Clock Ticks

_Clark Leachman- Border of Ohio and West Virginia_

"Holy shit!" Clark exclaimed "how…what…"

"I guess you're surprised" Vince said.

"Yeah" Clark said "h-how did you, how did you find me?"

"Well, its an interesting story" Vince said, "Wanna hear it?"

"Sure" Clark said. As they went for the bed, the door suddenly slammed open and Yuri came barreling in, grabbing Vince by the throat and hauling him against the wall, his free hand iced over.

"Who are you?!" Yuri demanded.

"Wait, Yuri" Clark said "its all right-"

"What's going on?" Catalina said, appearing from the bathroom, her body wrapped in a towel.

"I saw this guy coming in" Yuri said, "Figure I give him a welcoming present".

"Wait, wait Yuri!" Clark exclaimed, coming between him "please, its all right, I know him! Let him go all right".

"Who is he?" Yuri demanded.

"He's from my school" Clark repeated "please, just let him go". Yuri looked at Clark for a moment before letting his hand go, Vince grabbing his throat and gasping for breathe.

"Catalina" Yuri said, "go back in the bathroom, get yourself dressed". She nodded and closed the door.

"I'll be outside" he said, leaning in slightly to Clark "I hope your right about this". He headed for the door and walked outside.

"You all right?" he asked, walking over to Vince.

"Who the fuck was that?" he said, taking a deep gulp of breath.

"Yuri" Clark replied, "He has an ability, like me. As does Catalina".

"What are you doing with them?" he asked.

"We're going to New York" Clark said "and I should be the one asking the questions. What are you doing here?" Vince nodded and sat on the bed, still rubbing his red neck.

"Well, after you left" Vince said "I began to worry about you. I mean, running off like that, just seemed dangerous. Then I saw a report on the news, bout something that happened in Nashville. They said it was a car that lost control but I knew better, I had a feeling it had something to do with you. So I got into my car and began to drive for Nashville, stopped here to get some rest and I saw you".

"Wow, what are the odds?" Clark said.

"I know" he replied. Clark bit his lip a bit and sat down next to Vince.

"What's…happened back in Commerce?" he asked.

"Well" he shifted a bit "you were officially filed as missing. Everyone was real worried about you".

"Now they feel sorry," Clark said mockingly.

"And, they also have a feeling it had something to do with Andy" he continued "people on the football team figured you just snapped and tried to murder him and then you ran away".

"Fuckers" Clark said.

"Yeah" Vince said. There was a pause, neither of them knowing what to say next.

"Vince" Clark said after a minute of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Why do I have a feeling that there's something more about you trying to find me?" Vince's face darkened a little and furrowed his brow.

"Well" he got up "there is…something else".

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think it be best if I showed you". He raised his hand, aiming it at the nearby bed lamp, and out from his palm a lightning bolt flashed, shattering the lamp to pieces.

"Whoa" Clark said.

"I'll say" Catalina said, standing in at the bathroom doorway.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan- Unknown location _

For the next few days, Tyler wondered around the large complex, trying to get a bearing of where exactly he was.

The place seemed to have everything. There were shopping areas, business places, food courts, library, almost like it was a mini city. There were also hundreds of people, nearly all of them having abilities as well. He saw a woman who change the lettering on signs, a man who could re-grow limbs, a little girl who could turn objects to gold, and even an old man who could lift an entire bench of people. It was like a safe haven for all these people, not having to worry about the dangers of the outside world, hiding their abilities, it was a place they could just be themselves.

Tyler was sitting on one of the benches in the shopping area. He was still pondering over whether or not he should join these people. At times, he came close to agreeing but somehow another thing came up and he questioned his motifs again. He figured that Asheera and Dalton would say yes and Rika would probably stay behind but what was he to do?

He knew, somewhere deep down inside him, that change was coming. He knew that someday, maybe not now but someday, people will know about him and the others. After all, you can only contain a secret like this for so long, people are bound to find out. And if so, what will he do? Be apart of it? Or simply watch as events unfold?

"Ah, there you are" Tyler jumped slightly, Jason appearing from behind him.

"You scared me," he said.

"Sorry" Jason said "I sometimes do that, popping up out of nowhere has that effect".

"I guess" Tyler said "you wanted me for something?"

"Oh yeah! Right!" Jason straightened up "so, I am here to take you to someone".

"Who?" he asked.

"Trust me, you'll want to see her" and before he could object, Jason grabbed his arm and the suffocating darkness enveloped Tyler.

He felt his feet slam to the ground and his breath came rushing into him. Opening his eyes, he was in what looked like a therapist office with the weird looking chair, plants, desk, and the whole shebang. Sitting at the desk was a woman.

She reminded Tyler of that psychiatrist from The Sopranos, with the attire, hair, glasses, face, everything. She looked up from her notes, spotting the two who just appeared.

"This him?" she asked.

"Yep, its him" Jason replied "good luck" he whispered into Tyler's ear. And in a flash of light, he was gone.

"Please, have a seat" the woman said. Seeing as he had no other option, he laid down on the couch.

"Tyler Morgan, is it?" she asked.

"Yes" he replied.

"Okay Tyler" she said, "I'm Dr. Johnson and I'm going to ask you a few questions and I need you to be as honest as possible. Can you do that?"

"Yes" Tyler said.

"Okay" she got up from the desk and walked over to the seat directly across from him, pen and paper in hand.

"Now" she said, "if I'm correct, you have the power of transformation?"

"Yes" he said.

"And what is it you transform into?"

Tyler shrugged "I dunno".

"Describe it for me then" she asked.

"Well" he took a breath "its…it's kinda like an overgrown gorilla. Like, it has the body of one, face like one".

"Go on" she said.

"And it has brown fur all over its body, with some blonde mixed in" he continued "and two like saber tooth fangs and yellow eyes".

"And what happens when you transform?" she asked.

"I just…lose control," he said.

"How so?"

Tyler shifted a bit, feeling uncomfortable "its like, this thing, it takes me over. And I can't stop myself" he paused "I've killed people before. Three of them in fact".

"And you feel that if you had control" Dr. Johnson said "then you wouldn't have killed those men?"

"Maybe" he said grimly.

"Okay Tyler" she said, adjusting her glasses "I must ask you to transform for me".

Tyler looked at her as if she was insane, which he figured was a pretty good assumption "but-did you not hear me before?"

"Yes I did," she said calmly.

"But, I could kill you".

"Don't worry, you won't," she said, once again in that calm voice.

"Uh-uh, look" Tyler said, "even if I wanted to, I can't. It only happens-"

"Yes I'm aware of that" she replied "Tyler, the only way for you to gain control of this ability is if you have the confidence in yourself to use it. Now, you say you can only activate your powers when you get emotionally? Then do that for me, try to dig up some events that will trigger the beast".

Tyler was still unsure about this. Not only did he not think he could willingly transform but he may very well hurt this woman. However, he decided to try it anyway.

So he began to dig deep, literally saying inside himself for the beast to come out. At first, nothing happened. But then he felt that surge rush through him, his heart began to pump, and his body began to convulse. It seemed the beast had heard him.

Looking over, he saw that Dr. Johnson had this very calm face on and seemed to be idly writing something on that pad of hers as if this stuff normally happened.

Then the hair began to sprout, the muscles bulge, face change, and soon Tyler had transformed completely into the beast. Completely taken over, he looked around a bit before spotting the doctor again. He gave a roar and launched at her.

As he did so, she held up her hand and said calmly "that will do".

And almost like a rewind button, Tyler's transformation began to unravel, the hair recede, body shrink, until he landed roughly on the floor once more a human and stark naked. He gasped for breath, still unsure how she did that, while she kept on scribbling notes.

"From what I have seen," she said, "It appears that you make almost no effort to try and control yourself or more specifically the beast".

"I've tried!" Tyler gasped, "Do you think I wanted to kill those people? I literally had to fight to get control of my body".

"Well it seems you are not trying hard enough," she said calmly. Yeah well, I'd like to see you try it he thought.

"Tyler" she said, "this beast is essentially a part of you, more specifically the animal part of your mind brought into manifestation. Now that you have this new manifestation, its like being a toddler trying to take its first steps. What you have to do now is essentially the same, you must gain control of this like you did with walking, talking, even tying your shoes".

"And how exactly do I do that?" Tyler asked her, slowly getting up, and at the same time grabbing for a pillow to cover him.

"Here" she had gotten up, headed to her closest, and brought back a pair of clothes, which Tyler gladly took.

"Its simple" she said "do you have some way of communicating directly to the beast?"

"Sometimes I see it in my reflection" Tyler said, slipping on the pants.

"Then that is what you must do," she said, "talk directly to the beast and tell it that you are the one in charge, not it. Can you do that for me?"

"Maybe" he said. A bell suddenly chimed from her desk.

"I'm sorry Tyler but I appears we are out of time" she said. As soon as she finished, a flash of light later and Jason appeared.

"Is it time?" he asked.

"Right on time as usual Jason" she said, "now Tyler, I will expect to see you tomorrow, same time. Jason will come find you and bring you to me. In the meantime, I want you to work on what I told you today, all right?" Tyler nodded.

"Good" she said "all right Jason, you can take him back to his room. And after that, bring Abbot to my office, all right?"

"Righto doc" and he grasped Tyler's shoulder and once more, the engulfing darkness came and they were gone.

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- Border of Ohio and West Virginia _

Yuri did not like this at all. It all just seemed really shady that one of Clark's friends would find him all the way out here. The odds of that happening are…well, he just put it as slim to none. Something just didn't feel right.

"Hey" Catalina said, walking over to where to the bench where Yuri sat.

"I thought you were going to sleep?" he asked.

"I figured I give Clark and his friend some alone time" she replied. She walked over to the soda machine, pulled out a crumpled dollar bill, and got herself something to drink.

"Uh" she said, walking over "can you do me a favor? Its warm".

Yuri laughed softly "no problem". He held out his hand, putting his finger on the can, frost appearing on the can until it was nice and cold.

"Thanks" she said, flipping open the can and sitting next to him.

"How long till we reach New York?" she asked him.

"Should only take us two more days at least" he said "given we don't stop any further".

"Will Clark's friend be coming?" she asked.

"About him" he said.

"What is it?"

"I don't trust him," he said simply.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Doesn't it seem a bit odd that we find one of Clark's friends all the way out here?" he said.

"It is a bit odd," she said "but still, even if there was something else going on, why would he try to hurt Clark?"

"Maybe he found out about his power" Yuri said.

"Well that can't be" she replied, "He has a power as well".

This caught Yuri off guard "what do you mean?"

"He can shoot lightening bolts from his hand" she said "I saw it for myself".

"Either way" he continued, "how do we know Lancaster hasn't gotten to him first?"

"Now you're just being paranoid," she said.

"Think about" Yuri said, getting up "this whole speech about him seeing Clark on the TV, getting into his car, leaving his family, and just happening to find him here? Doesn't that seem a bit odd?"

"It sounds a little bit," she said "but why? What would he have to gain from turning Clark in?"

"Believe me Catalina," he said solemnly "Lancaster is a very persuasive person. For all we know, he could have promised him power or money or whatever teens want no a days. I'm telling you Catalina, something just doesn't add up". She remained silent for a moment, taking another sip of her cola.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"We keep an eye on him" he said, "find out what he's really doing here. We have to be certain he's not working with Lancaster".

"What about Clark?" she asked, "Should we tell him?"

Yuri thought about this for a moment "no" he said "until we are absolutely certain, we should keep this between ourselves".

She nodded "all right" she got up "I don't like it but I'll help".

"Thank you Catalina" he said "and if he is telling the truth, we'll let the issue go. But until then, keep an eye out on him, all right?"

She nodded, a very gloom expression on her face. Yuri didn't like it either but it was the only way to be absolutely certain. He knew if Lancaster were to find out what his motifs were, there's no telling what might happen.

* * *

_Dalton Abbot- Unknown location _

"And these visions only begun last Monday?" Dr. Johnson asked Dalton, lying on her couch, she in her chair scribbling notes.

"Yes" he said.

"How often do you have them?" she asked,

He shrugged "depends" he said "most of the times, their very random. Can't say for sure when I'll have one".

"And what do you see?" she asked.

"Lots of things" he replied "most of the time its just about small stuff but other times they can be big".

"Like what?" she asked "tell me the last big vision you had".

Dalton debated over whether or not he should tell her. He still had not told Asheera about the vision of New York being destroyed. He knew that this woman was trying to help him but…

"No, not really" he said.

"And you say you cannot control when these visions happen?" he nodded.

"Have you ever tried to form a vision by your own means?" she asked.

"I've tried" Dalton said "but it never works".

"Right then" she scribbled something on her pad "now, I've dealt with precog's before and most of the time, in order for them to have their visions, a trigger has to go off. Like for example, I once knew a man who could paint these pictures of future events, but only when he got high off heroin".

"Really?" Dalton asked, intrigued to know there were others like him "who was he?"

"His name was Isaac Mendez" she said "but if you hope to find him, I'm afraid you'll come up empty handed for Mr. Mendez died of a drug overdose almost three weeks ago. You see that painting on the wall?" Dalton turned to where she was looking and his mouth almost fell open.

On that painting, it showed the image of a large city and what looked like an atom bomb going off in it, engulfing the buildings in a combination of smoke and fire. It was the vision Dalton had seen as well.

"That was the last painting he ever did," she said.

"B-but, but" Dalton stuttered a bit "I mean, if this Isaac guy could see the future, doesn't that-?"

"Mr. Abbot, there is something you should understand" Dr. Johnson said "by the time he had done this painting, he was so far into his addiction that it had begun to warp his visions, until their came a point when his paintings were more fantasy then real. That painting you see up there is nothing more then the warped stupor of an addict". She stopped when a bright light filled the room and Jason reappeared.

"All right Dalton" she said "we are out of time. But I want you to think really hard about the times when you had your visions, what you were doing, where you were at, anything to give you clues as to why they occurred. Can you do that?"

It took Dalton a moment to come back to her "uh, yeah, yeah I can do that".

"All right" she said, "Jason will take to back to your room".

He got up, Jason putting a hand on his shoulder and he felt the suffocating darkness close in on him before he reappeared in his room.

"Thanks Jason" Dalton said quickly, running out of his room and heading to Asheera's. He burst through the door, Asheera sitting in her chair reading.

"What is it?" she asked.

"There's something I have to tell you" and he quickly told Asheera about the vision he had during their scuffle with Tania.

"Are you certain of this?" she asked "cause this is a very serious matter. What you're talking about is the genocide of millions of people".

"Believe me, I know what I saw" Dalton said "and I'm not alone!"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When I was in the doctors office, she showed me a painting done by this Isaac Mendez, apparently he to could see into the future and he saw the same thing that I did! And she even told me herself that it was the last painting he ever did!"

"But what could this all mean?" she asked, "That somehow a superhuman like us will blow up all of New York?"

"It could very well be" Dalton said, "It could even be that Tania fellow!"

"Him?" she asked.

"You heard Lola say" he continued "he's stealing people's abilities, for all we know he too could have stolen someone who had some sort of fire ability".

"Fire" Asheera said softly. Her eyes went wide "Dalton, I think I got it".

"What?" he asked.

"You remember that Leachman kid?" she asked, "The one Lola was talking about?"

"Yes"

"She said he caused an explosion in Detroit" Dalton suddenly began to understand.

"Then that must mean he's the one!" he exclaimed, "If his powers are as unpredictable as they are-"

"Come on" she said, quickly getting out of her seat "we have to tell Lola". He didn't need to be told twice. He followed her out of the room and the two began to sprint down the hall. It was time to stop an exploding teen.

* * *

**Authors note: yeah, remember when I said I wouldn't be making any references to the show? Well, I lied. Just wanted to let you all know that.**


	25. Past, Present, and the Future

_Dalton Abbot- Unknown Location_

"You are certain about this?" Nola asked the two after they finished telling them what they discovered.

"Yes" Dalton replied.

"So Isaac was right," Nola said half to herself "do you know when this will happen?"

"I'm not sure," Dalton said.

"What do you mean your not sure?" she asked.

"I mean, I know it's going to happen. Just, no specific date" he replied.

"Nola" Asheera said "yes, we are unsure when this will happen but besides that, we have to get to New York before either of this can take place".

"I wish we could" she said "but that is to risky".

"What do you mean?" Dalton asked.

"Lancaster will be in New York for the next few days" she said "he'll have some of his top people with him, including his assistant. As soon as we step into New York, they'll know we are there".

"So that's it?" Dalton demanded, "We're just going to sit back and hope that all of New York isn't destroyed?"

"Isn't there another way?" Asheera asked.

"I don't know" Nola said simply "if there was someway to disable her powers, we might have a chance of sneaking in".

"Surely there's someone in here who can do that?" Asheera asked.

"The only person who can disable powers in this entire facility is Dr. Johnson" Nola said.

"Then we use her!" Dalton exclaimed.

"There lies a problem" Nola said "Dr. Johnson needs to be at least thirty feet from someone in order for her powers to work. We won't be able to make it a hundred yards before she tracks us". Dalton hissed in frustration.

"So now what?" he asked.

"Exactly" Nola said.

"Nola!" Dalton turned to see Tyler running up to them.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about it" Tyler said "and I wanna do it".

"Well that's good of you to join" she said "but right now we have a very serious problem".

"What do you mean?" he asked. Quickly, the others told them what they were discussing.

"And we don't have a way of getting in undetected?" he asked.

"No" Nola said "not with Lancaster's assistant around. We find a way to take her out, we can get into the city without her detecting us". They heard someone cough behind them. Turning around, Dalton sees Rika standing a few feet from them.

"What is it Rika?" Nola asked, "You need something?"

She bit her lip and walked forward, handing Nola the translator she made. On it, Dalton could make out the message _I want to go._

"Absolutely not" Nola said, handing back the translator "you are only a kid. This is to dangerous".

Rika scribbled again on the translator, the message reading _please, I have to go._

"Why?" Nola asked, "Why is it you must insist on going?"

She wrote again, _I want to know why my dad is working for them._

"Rika" she said, "I highly doubt your father is going to be in New York".

_I can still try_ she wrote.

Nola furrowed her brow "I don't know" she said "what about you three? Do you think we should take her?"

"I believe it's to dangerous," said Asheera.

"Same here" Tyler said, Dalton agreeing.

"I'm sorry Rika" Nola said, "We just can't let you go".

Rika was saddened, her head hung slightly. After a moment, she wrote another message.

_I know how to stop Lancaster's assistant._

* * *

_Catalina Portillo- Clearfield, USA_

Catalina was staring out the car window as they passed through the town of Clearfield. Yuri was at the wheel once again, while the two boys were in the back. Since their old car had been totaled beyond repair, it was decided they dump the old car at the motel and take Vince's car instead.

She was still thinking about what Yuri had said. She still found it very hard to believe that Vince was somehow employed with Lancaster but then again, it was very hard to believe his story. But then again, it did happen sometimes.

"How long till New York?" asked Clark.

"Another days drive" responded Yuri.

"So this Lancaster guy" said Vince "is he really as bad as you guys say he is?"

"Yes" responded Yuri; at the same time he gave Catalina a 'get information on him' look.

She turned around in her seat to face the back "so Vince" she asked, "how did you first discover your ability?"

"During football practice" he responded, "I was slammed by one of the players and when I landed, I just felt this jolt go through me and a lighting bolt just erupts out of my hand".

"Did anyone see it?" she asked.

"Oh yes" Vince responded "but they just thought it was a freak occurrence. And besides, no one saw it was me who did it".

Catalina looked at Yuri, who had the same look on her face. Once again, his story sounded very fishy.

"We should stop somewhere" Yuri said "get some things before we head out". He pulled up into a gas station, giving Clark the last of their money to pay for the gas and get some supplies, along with some extra Vince was carrying with him.

As soon as the two were out of reach, Yuri turned to her "what do you think?"

"You're right" she said, "Something is definitely wrong. But still, why would he work for Lancaster? It just doesn't make sense!"

"I'm not sure either" Yuri said "but whatever it is, he must have promised him something big to turn on his friend".

"What do we do now?"

"We keep to the plan" Yuri said "we watch after him, look for any hints, be discreet, the whole thing. But until then, we have to keep on going to not raise suspicion".

She nodded "but I still don't get it" she said, "why would Lancaster go through all this trouble? If he is working for him, surely he would have killed Clark the moment he opened the door, right?"

"It is odd, like I've said" he replied "but I think Lancaster doesn't want to kill Clark just yet".

"How come?"

"I don't know yet" he responded. Clark and Vince appeared from the store after Yuri said this.

"Remember" he said, "Keep low".

* * *

_Unnamed town- Argentina _

Only a few hours after she got the call and the small town was seeing more tourist in one day then an entire year. CIA people were busy combing the house for more clues, Angela and Dawson outside talking with Levitz.

"So Tania's our guy?" he asked.

"Absolutely" she responded, "we got pictures and names that confirm all his victims and some that could even be his next target".

"I'm sure the director knows of this?" he asked, a slightly disappointed tone in his voice, almost as if his hopes for Angela's failure were close to being dashed.

"Yes, I even called him myself" she said in a satisfied voice, annoyance crossing Levitz face, something that gave her great satisfaction. It was what he deserved for trying to steal her case.

"Very well" he said "excuse me for a moment" and he headed for the house.

"Shows him" Dawson said.

Angela smiled "all right" she said, getting back into her serious mode "we have Tania's hit list. So as soon as we're done here I want to have information on where they live, hopefully we can get to them before Ben does".

"Want me to start now?" he asked.

"Yes" she said "get the list over to headquarters, tell the team to get right on it". Dawson nodded and began to walk away to do his work.

I almost got you Tania she thought, just a little more time. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Levitz running over to her. Great, what do you want? She thought.

"Angela" he said, "I think you should look at this" he handed her a piece of paper; on it was a picture of a middle aged Japanese man.

"What about him?" she asked.

"We got a report from some of our men who were still in Tokyo" he said "after we sent out the message, they reported back to us saying that this man here went missing. It appears he was on the Tania's list".

"Coincidence?" she said.

"I thought so too" he said "but a few moments later, I get another call that another person on Tania's list has gone missing".

"Another?" she asked.

"Yep" he responded "and get this, three other people have gone missing, all on Tania's list. But here's the real kicker, the last confirmed person on his list to go missing, was from northern California".

"What?" she asked dumbfounded "how did he get back into the USA so quickly?"

"We're not sure" he said "but it seems that Tania has changed his tactics".

"But why?" she said, "Why change now?"

"Maybe he knows we're on to him" Levitz replied.

"Either way" she said, pocketing the paper "we better get back to headquarters. Something is definitely going on". She quickly turned, not waiting for Levitz, hurrying across to the van where Dawson was.

"Angela!" he called when he saw her "there's-"

"Save it, I know," she said.

"Oh" he said, "well then, what do we do?"

"Simple" she replied, "We get back to Langley and try to figure out his next move" she then climbed into the van and instructed the driver to get to the airport.

What are you up to now Ben?

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa _

_What do you mean how to stop Lancaster's assistant?_ The message appeared on the screen.

Rika quickly scribbled down _I mean I know how to stop her from using her ability._

_How?_ Came the reply

She took a deep breath and wrote down another message. _Well, when I leave my body, I can dive into other people and control them._

By the looks of the others, they were shocked to hear of this. It was the first time Rika had told them about this ability and she hoped it was enough to allow them to say yes.

There was really only one reason Rika wanted to come. There was the chance her father may be with Lancaster and if she could get just a few minutes alone with him and just ask him why he never told her. And as she thought more of it over the past few days, she realized that maybe there had been other things he might have lied about. Those business trips, the long hours at work, were they all just a lie? And what about mom? Did she know about it as well? That and so many others made her come to the decision that she had to find out the truth. Now all that was left was for Nola to allow her to come.

_You can do this?_ Dalton asked her, an annoyed look crossing Nola's face.

_You aren't serious?_ She asked.

_You heard…I mean, read what she said_ he replied _if she can really control people's bodies, it could be the perfect chance to get in undetected!_

_Even so_ Nola said _there are still the repercussions. How do we know Lancaster won't see past this?_

_He won't_ Dalton replied.

_And what about the fact she's been deaf almost all her life?_ She responded _that means she has had no vocational lessons at all, meaning she won't be able to understand anything that's coming out of people's mouth unless she looks right at there lips and then there's the language barrier and the chance of discovery. And she won't be able to speak as well. Absolutely not, it's far too risky._

_But still_ Asheera said _it looks to be the only plan we've got._ Nola looked at her dumbfounded, Rika feeling a spark of hope. Surely if Asheera agreed, then Nola has to say yes!

_It does look like the best plan_ Tyler said, Rika feeling her hopes rise. Nola looked at each of them before a defeated look crossed her face, seeing as she was outnumbered.

_All right_ she said, turning to Rika _you can come. But I will not have you anywhere near the place once stuff happens. You will simply go in, keep Lancaster's assistant quiet, and once we grab Leachman, you get out of there right away._

Rika was ecstatic. She wrote a hasty thank you before hurrying to the elevator. Once back in her room, she pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, the screensaver blinking on, it being a picture of she and her dad at a track meet about a year ago.

I'm coming dad.

* * *

_Reno, Nevada_

Once more, another fell under Kara's spell. That same glazed expression in her eyes, the blank face, a clear sign she had become another of his puppets.

"Good" he told her "let her join the others".

Slowly but surely, his army was growing. Six had already fallen under Kara's powers, and he knew more were to come. How many, he was not sure. Only the voice could say when enough was enough.

We must leave, leave for Vegas, next person there.

The voice had spoken.

"What is it my love?" Dahlia asked.

"We leave now" he said "for Vegas".

"How many more?" she asked him, clutching onto his sleeve "when will it be enough?"

"Soon" he replied "very soon".

He led Dahlia out into the backyard, where the others stood aimlessly like zombies. He grabbed her hand firmly, Kara making the others do the same, forming a line of connecting bodies.

Ben shot off into the air, pulling the others with him like a streamer in his wake. I'm coming for you Lancaster he said, I'm coming.

* * *

_New York City_

Today was the day. It was the day that Arthur Lancaster had been preparing for a long time. It was the day he would announce Itex's big deal, the deal that would propel the corporation to the top of the industry pack. Once then, the true plans for Itex will finally come to life. Once every superhuman was under his control, they could finally emerge from the shadows and then this world can truly become a better place. No more feeble wars, environmental issues, religious plights, the world will be reborn once again.

He heard a knock at his door, Fiona walking in.

"Sir" she said, "are you ready?"

He adjusted his tie "I trust everything is ready?"

"Yes sir" she said, "your speech has been written, the men are arriving as we speak, it should all make for a smooth transition".

"And I hope there will be no interruptions?" he asked.

"We already have security positioned," she said "and I will be constantly scanning so we don't have any uninvited people".

"Good" he said, walking towards her "I will be down in a moment, all right?"

"Yes sir" she said. He waited until she disappeared down the hall before walking out of the room and heading for his location.

He entered the room, careful to close the door as to not wake him.

"Don't bother" came a voice from the bed "I'm already up".

Lancaster chuckled "Charles" he said, "You really should be getting your rest".

"Aw, why bother" he replied "I'm gonna die anyway".

"You don't know that" he said.

"Oh come on Arthur" he replied, "You know it as well as I do. As far as I can tell, I'm living on borrowed time".

"I swear Charles" Lancaster said, "I liked you a lot better when you were better".

"Don't we all?" he responded, laughing, "I trust you're comfortable?"

"Of course, old friend" he said, taking a seat next to the bed "and how about you? Are you okay?"

"Didn't I just say I was gonna die" he responded, "How do you think I feel?"

"Right" Lancaster responded, "and Simone? Is she well?"

"As well as excepted" he responded "she's still a little broken up over Isaac's death".

"She really shouldn't blame herself so" he said, "It was his own fault he couldn't control his addiction. Shame really, he used to be such a talented artist". Charles nodded in agreement.

"Where's that nurse?" Lancaster asked.

"I fired her," he said simply.

"Charles" he said, "that's the fifth in two months. I don't hire these people just for you to keep them around for a few weeks".

"I just find it unnecessary" Charles said.

"Its to make you feel better" he said, "I wish you stop being so stubborn". Charles gave a low grunt.

"You mind if I open the blinds?" he asked him.

"Go ahead" he responded.

Lancaster got off the chair and headed for the curtains, pulling them back to let in the bright sunshine flood the room.

"I better tell Fiona to hire a new nurse for you," he said.

"You know I'll just fire them" Charles responded.

"And you know I'll simply hire you a new one". He heard Charles mutter something under his breath, though he was unsure what "I think Angela's boy just became a certified nurse, maybe I should hire him. Maybe then you won't be so quick to give him the axe".

"So now your playing the friend card" Charles said jokingly "I figured when you start to fight dirty".

"Speaking of which, I hear Nathan's going to run for council?"

"That's what I've been told" he responded, "If he's actually going to do it this year".

"Well, knowing Angela" he said, "she's bound to convince him someway".

"Right. Shouldn't you be heading out for that big thing you have?" he asked.

Looking at his watch, he realized that he should get going soon "your right" he responded, "thanks for letting me stay here".

"Anytime" he responded.

"Its funny really" Charles said as Lancaster reached the door.

"What is?" he asked.

"How you have managed all this," he said, "after our previous effort failed so miserably".

"Ah yes" he said, "The Company, I almost forgot".

"I have to ask" he said, "How did you do it?"

"Well, unlike some" he said "I didn't give up on it when things got rough".

"Now don't give me that" Charles responded "you know as much as I do that if we hadn't gotten out sooner, we could have all been dead. We realized what it was she could do and got out before she could strike. It amazes me today your not dead from it all".

"Yes, indeed" he responded.

"I must ask" Charles said "are you sure she is dead?"

"Like I've said before," Lancaster said, "she is dead, along with Adam and the others".

"How can you be so certain?" he asked.

"Give my regards to Simone," he said, heading for the door "and Charles".

"What is it?"

"Try not to fire Peter" he said "otherwise, I'll just have to give up on getting you better".

"Like I said before," Charles said, "as you should". Lancaster shook his head and walked out of the room.


	26. Revenge

All over the globe, extraordinary events have been occurring. The next generation oh human evolution was discovered and people from all walks of life begin to discover their abilities. Whether they are high school students, businessmen, sport players, government figures, or even drug smugglers, all these people have discovered their newfound heritage. And now, as the final pieces begin their march and the convergence begins on New York, it will forever change the course of the human race.

And when the dust settles and the night is still…where will you be?

* * *

_Clark Leachman- New York City, USA_

It wasn't before long that the city of New York came into view. At long last, they had finally made it and what's better, not a single interruption by any of Lancaster's goons since Ohio.

"Thank god we're here" Clark said, "I was starting to get bored".

"What do we do now?" Vince asked.

"Well" Yuri said, "Lancaster's public announcement is scheduled for today. All we have to do is find out where".

"Then what?" Clark asked.

"I'm not sure," he said.

"Sounds like a thought out plan" Vince said.

"I'll know when we get there" he responded.

Vince shrugged and slumped back into the seat.

Even though they were about to enter a dangerous situation, Clark couldn't help but admire the city view. He had never been to New York before and had always wanted to go ever since he was little. However, he never planned he would be coming her to kill the man who was trying to hunt him down.

Clark gave a violent shudder, causing Vince to look over at him.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he responded.

"You sure?" he asked, "That's the second time you've done that now since we left the gas station".

"I'm fine," he said "really. Just got the chills or something, you know? Going into this dangerous situation, can do that to you sometimes". Vince didn't seem entirely convinced but he backed off.

Truth is, these shudders Clark had been getting had been going on for a lot longer. Ever since their last run in with Mesmer and his goons, they have been happening. Each time, he feels this surge rush through him, his vision goes red, this intense heat like heartburn goes off in his body, and after it would happen, he felt as if he had stood in the baking sun. And each one was worse then the last.

Though he hated to think of it, something told Clark this wasn't just coincidence. He knew it had something to do with his powers. And if so, he suspected his worse fears.

His power was slowly but surely…taking him over.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa- three miles outside New York City _

Right now, Rika was sitting inside a van that was parked inconspicuously outside a local elementary school. Two men that Rika had never met before were sitting in the front, both preparing for what may come.

Across the street stood another van parked inconspicuously outside the elementary school. This one had Asheera, Dalton, and Tyler in it, waiting for the sign that Rika had succeeded and for Jason to come in and teleport them into the city.

The man in the drivers seat turned around to face her and began to speak, words lighting up on the translator.

_Are you ready?_ It read. Rika nodded, though truth be told her heart was pounding a mile a second and she was just about ready to hurl.

_All right_ the man continued _now, we have safely assumed that Fiona won't be scanning outside the city limits but for how long we can't be sure, so your gonna have to be fast when getting inside her, all right?_ She nodded again.

_You practice your words?_ For the past few days, Rika had been practicing how to speak so that when she did enter Fiona's body, it wouldn't look too suspicious if she did hand gestures. Since they knew it would be impossible for her to speak fluently, let alone in English, they just gave her three simple sayings that should help her out in most situations like 'fine' and 'yes sir' and 'no thanks'. After a few days, she was able to perfect them or so they told her. She just hoped it wouldn't be so obvious.

_All right, now remember_ the man continued _you are to get inside her, keep close by Lancaster and nothing else. You don't go anywhere, you don't do anything he doesn't tell you, and if things get dangerous, you will get out of there at once. Clear?_ Once more, she nodded.

The man nodded too _now, Lancaster should be giving his speech just outside the Itex Headquarters, which is located in Kirby Plaza. You remember how to get there, I presume?_ Once again, Rika nodded.

_Now remember, once you get in, call this number and say fine. One of our people at the base will pick it up and give the word. We'll also have Nola alter her phone a little bit so it can trasnlate all that Lancaster says to you. If at any point you suspect something is wrong, call the same number and answer no. You then get out of there and get back here. With that said, good luck._

Rika nodded once more. Setting down the translator and lying down, she closed her eyes and willed herself outside her body.

The familiar rush came and when she opened her eyes, she was in ghost form. Taking a deep breath, she flew out of the car, climbing higher and higher into the sky and began to zoom towards the city.

* * *

Central Intelligence Agency- Langley, USA

Almost immediately after Angela walked into the office, she was flooded with agents waving papers in her face.

"Angela!" one of her own said "we have just gotten reports of two more people from Tania's list have gone missing".

"All ready?" she asked, grabbing the paper. How could one man be so fast?

"Where was this?" she asked.

"In Las Vegas" she said.

"And were we able to find him?"

"We caught a brief image of him on a casino security video" she said "but other then that, no".

"All right, all right" she said, calming the crowd "I want everyone on a computer and I want this bastard found. Get security feeds, plane tickets, anything to nail this son of a bitch before anyone else goes missing. Now move people, move!"

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova- New York City, USA _

"So where exactly is Lancaster holding this thing?" Catalina asked once they entered Manhattan.

"Its at Kirby Plaza" he responded "at least that's one the paper read".

"What are we going to do once we get there?" she asked.

"We wait until he finishes his speech" he said "and then as he is walking off, we get him".

"That doesn't sound like a good plan" she said.

"Well, it's the best one we got" he said.

"But" she said, lowering her voice slightly "how do we know that assistant woman won't just do one of her sweeps and finds we're only a few feet away from him?"

"Lancaster won't do a thing" he responded "not in front of such a large crowd".

"And what about him?" he was indicating to Vince.

"We'll deal with him," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"We keep him close" he said "in our sights, make sure he isn't giving Lancaster any signs".

Catalina was silent for a moment "I really don't like this plan" she said.

"Its for the best" was all he could say.

A few more minutes of driving and the traffic began to really slow down as road blocks were placed at each road leading into the plaza, which was already beginning to fill up with people.

"We better park somewhere," Catalina said.

"Right".

He pulled out of the main street and snuck into a rapidly filling up parking area. Yuri stepped out of the car and began to walk, the others right behind him.

They passed through the barricade into the plaza. The Itex Building was the most dominating building in the entire plaza. Standing at nearly fifty stories with its concrete walls and oddly tinted green windows and the huge company logo made of silver plastered on the northern face, it was an imposing sight that seemed to make all the other buildings cower in its presence.

A stage and podium had been set up at the front of the main buildings entrance, security guards securing the area and reporters clustering around the front to get in on it all.

"Everyone stay together" Yuri said "don't want to get lost in this crowd".

"What exactly are we going to do?" Clark asked as they headed for the crowd.

"Just you wait Clark" he responded.

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Clark asked.

"I'm still mulling it over all right?" he said.

"This doesn't look to good," Vince said.

"Was I talking to you?" Yuri snapped at him.

"Hey" Clark responded, "Lay of will ya? Besides, he has a point, this really doesn't-".

"I know Clark" he responded "but this is the only way". Without saying anything else, they entered into the crowd.

* * *

As they made their way through the people, Clark accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry about that" he said.

Then he looked up at the persons face and he almost stopped, for the guy had this extremely blank expression on his face, as if not aware of what was going on around him, let alone knowing Clark was talking to him.

He quickly began to walk again, catching up to the others.

Odd he thought, what was up with that guy?

* * *

As much of a spectacle it was to fly above the New York skyline, Rika knew that she had no time for sight seeing.

She dove down into the streets, getting herself oriented.

All right she thought if I'm here, then Kirby Plaza must be…

She flew up the street and found the correct one. She continued north, the traffic steadily getting worse until she was over the barricade and inside the plaza.

Great, I'm here, now to find Lancaster.

Looking over at the stage, it was empty, meaning he is either not here or somewhere close by.

She tapped her lip, thinking of what to do.

She flew around the outside of the plaza, trying to catch a sight of him or maybe something that will hint where he was. She climbed a little bit higher in the air to get a wider view, carefully scanning the streets. Still nothing.

Maybe he would be coming from the back? She turned around and flew towards the Itex building. Passing through one of the floors where people were just typing away on computers.

She passed through the wall, appearing in the back of the building and finally seemed to find something. A black car guarded on all sides by other black cars was making its way down a deserted street towards the building. Jackpot.

She flew towards the cars, gently dropping in over the middle one and passing through the cars roof. Sure enough, in the back were Lancaster and his assistant, who was rapidly pushing skimming through the contents in a briefcase while he was giving out orders.

"And you are quiet certain the place is secure?" He asked.

"Yes sir" she said "the plaza is secure. However, I think it would be interesting to note that Mr. Pavlova is in the crowd along with Leachman"

Rika had no clue what they were talking about. Without her translater to help her, none of the words forming on their lips made any sense at all.

"Really?" A small smile appearing on his face "how very nice. It will be good to see him again"

"What will you have me do with Leachman?"

"That depends, how is he doing?"

"Its problematic" she responded.

"How so?"

"It would appear his powers are growing at a substantial rate"

Lancaster drummed his fingers on the car door "After the conference, I want him apprehended, make it as quietly as possible. And if so, bring Yuri as well. As long as I'm taking care of unfinished business, I think it be best to tie up some loose ends as well"

Seeing how she was getting nowhere watching them flap their lips, it was time for her to take action.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her first time doing this was…well, not pleasant to say the least. And the second time wasn't any better. Who knows, maybe the third time really is the charm.

Without a moment's hesitation, she dove forward and entered Fiona's body.

Immediately, the sound assaulted her. The car engine seemed to throb in her ear and horns blared like gunshots from outside, even the distant sound of people seemed to blast out at her. She felt dizzy, steadying herself on the seat, trying to make the noise die down.

Her fist clenched up and her teeth began to grind. Stop, stop, stop!

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked over to see Lancaster, noise coming out of his mouth, except to Rika it all sounded like a bunch of mush. Focusing her wavering eyesight, she realized Lancaster was asking something, something she figured must have been "Are you all right?"

She nodded "fine" her voice rang out in her ears "fine". she quickly groped inside her pocket and pulled out the cell phone

He asked her another thing, sounding like he was shouting at her.

Not knowing what to do, she just truster her instict and went with "yes, fine". Thankfully, that seemed to be the right answer. Lancaster began to speak some more but Rika just turned her head to face the floor, so all it ended up coming out was just a bunch of gibberish to her. As he did so, she quickly dialed in the number, said the word, and waited a few seconds. Sure enough, she heard a ping sound go off and on the screen, words began to appear, Lancaster's words

Slowly but surely, as the minutes passed, the sounds began to slowly ease up and everything didn't seem to just blast at her.

Once again, Lancaster tapped her shoulder.

She looked at him "did you hear anything I just said?" she quickly glanced down at the phone.

She nodded "yes sir" she responded.

"Are you quite sure your all right?" he asked her.

"Yes sir" she said, "fine, thanks".

He nodded; though it was obvious he wasn't entirely convinced.

"Well, we're here now" he continued, straightening his tie "lets go make history".

He opened the door and stepped out, Rika following, gently closing the door behind her. As they crossed the buildings parking lot, Rika kept throbbing her aching temples, her brain feeling like it may split in two. Just the sound of her high-heeled shoes on the concrete made her wince in pain.

They came to the exit, walking into an elevator that brought them up to the first floor and the main lobby of the building.

Outside, Rika could see the enormous crowd of people waiting for the event to happen and realized in agony just how loud this whole thing could be.

Lancaster yelled something at her, realizing she was still standing at the elevator like an idiot. She hurried after him, once more wincing out the clack-clack of her shoes. He stopped at the double doors that would lead them outside.

"Speech?" he asked her.

At first, Rika didn't know what to do, her mind seemingly brain dead from all that was going on, until she processed the fact that she should probally look at the phone. Realizing what she must do, she quickly began to ruffle through the folders in the briefcase. Come on she thought, which one, which one?

Thank god that the speech was in a very noticable file, otherwise she would have been in big trouble. Pulling out the file, she handed it to him.

He flipped through the pages, nodding "good" he continued, "everything seems to be in order" he looked over at her, Rika putting on a weak smile. His gaze was emotionless, nothing etched on his face to indicate he knew something.

"Right then" he said "lets go".

And he opened the front doors, the sound just coming in like a tidal wave. Rika staggered for a moment, blind-sided from the full on assault.

This was going to be a lot harder then she thought.

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia _

They had been waiting in the car now for ten minutes now. So far, there had been no call, no confirmation that Rika had done it yet and everyone was anxious. Dalton was nervously drumming his fingers, Tyler was very rigid, and Asheera was busy kneading at her sari.

"You sure she is all right?" Dalton asked the guy up in front.

"We will know once we get the call" he responded. So no help there. Dalton leaned back in his seat, looking over at Asheera.

"Nervous?" he asked.

She nodded "of course" she responded "I mean, just over a week ago, I was a professor at a college. I'm not supposed to be doing stuff like rescuing a potentially dangerous powered teen. Right now, I'm supposed to be lecturing on genetic mutation to a bunch of students".

Dalton laughed, "Yeah" he said "and I'm suppose to be at work now handling a bunch of rich peoples money".

"I should be at the beach," Tyler said.

"Funny how things turn out, huh?" Asheera asked, "Who would have thought that a bunch of ordinary people like us would be here in America, three miles out of New York, saving the world". They both nodded.

"Asheera" Dalton said.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Why do you think this is happening to us?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, these powers, all this" he asked, "Why is this happening?"

Asheera shrugged "I really don't know" she said "why we find our selves in this situation? It's a mystery. Maybe its fate, maybe its just coincidence, I don't know". She paused for a moment.

"And as for our powers" she said "there's really no explanation. If you think about it, you'd expect to find this stuff in like comic books like X-men or Superman or any other of the thousands of comics out there. The only thing I can say is that…we live in an extraordinary world".

At that moment, the guys cell phone went off. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, speaking for a brief moment and then hanging it up.

"She did it," he said, starting up the car "we're going". As the car began to move, Asheera took a deep breath.

"You ready?" Dalton asked.

"No" she said.

"Good" he said "me either".

* * *

"Look!" Clark suddenly said, "He's coming out".

Yuri quickly looked over at the stage and sure enough, Lancaster had just walked out of the front doors and was making his way to the podium, his assistant right behind him.

Except, something seemed a bit off with her. Her head was lowered slightly, one hand on her head like she was holding some sort of wound, and a pained expression on her face. Wonder what's wrong with her he thought.

Lancaster stepped onto the podium, placing a file down onto the wood. He raised his hand and almost like a ripple effect, the crowd began to fall quiet.

"Thank you" he said in the microphone, his voice echoing across the plaza.

"Ladies, gentlemen" he began "people of the press, my esteemed colleagues, I am proud to stand before you today with a promise of change. For nearly five years now, I have been working towards this day, when I take Itex Corporation to the next level".

"What does that mean?" Catalina asked.

"I'm not sure" Yuri responded.

"I am here to announce," he continued "the unification of the Itex Corporation with…the Olean Company" he indicated to a man sitting in one of the chairs situated in the back. There was the usual applause.

"EBG International" he pointed to another person, another round of applause.

"And finally, The Elite Group" he pointed to a whole group of people, applauses soon following.

"Wow, those some pretty big names" Clark said.

"You know them?" Yuri asked. He being from Russia, he did not know most of these American companies.

"Well yeah" he replied "their like big companies here in the USA. In fact, I think EBG International makes the deodorant I buy".

"Deodorant?" he asked.

"Yeah" Vince said, "Their real big on the personal care stuff, right behind Johnson's".

"Also" Lancaster continued, "Besides the inclusion of these people and their lucrative companies, I would also like to announce Itex's new business deal with Trump Organization and Arcelor Mittal Corperation". This caused a great deal of whispering to echo across the crowd.

"Holy shit!" Catalina said, "How the hell did he get all those huge names?"

"I don't know" Yuri said, "Something is very wrong here".

* * *

By now, Rika had at least gotten used to her newfound sense. Sure, the sudden blare of Lancaster's voice when he paused gave her a sharp jab in the head, but she wasn't expecting bliss.

She didn't bother to look down at the phone, it wasn't like she was interested in what this ass hole had to say.

But when she did steal a glance at the phone to see Lancaster had said esteemed colleagues, Rika immediatly turned her head to see the other Itex heads, one of which happened to be her dad. She hadn't noticed any of them walking out, just reeling from the sudden sound.

She couldn't have been happier. Now all she had to do was just wait for this guys speech to be over with and think of a plan to get to him. Sounded simple enough, she hoped.

Raising her head slightly, she couldn't help but scan through the crowd of people, since now there was really nothing else to do. And as she did, her eyes suddenly locked on one person in the crowd.

A person with blood red eyes.

* * *

"It is with this" Lancaster continued "that with the backing of my new business partners, that can bring Itex to its full potential. For you see, we stand at the edge of a great turning point, an age where the people of tomorrow will lead our world. These people are the very key to the world's survival. For years now, I have been bringing these extraordinary people from all over the globe, to harness their incredible abilities, to mold them into the future leaders of tomorrow. And with the backing of Itex, we can accomplish things no government or organization could have ever dreamed of doing"

As everyone was listening to Lancaster, all there attention focused on them, the man Clark had bumped into slowly began to move forward.

"Together, we can end the wars that divide us today".

And as the man began to walk forward, about thirty other people with the same blank stare began to turn their heads towards him.

"Together, we can bring peace to areas that have no freedom".

Ben was watching all this with a smile on his face, Dahlia clutching at his arm next to him and Kara right in front of them with that same blank stare, everyone unaware of what she was doing. It was all just so easy.

"Together, we can sop all environmental problems".

The man came up behind Yuri and the others and as he did, he stuck his hand down his pants and slowly pulled out a gun.

"Together"

From the stage, Rika found herself paralyzed in fear. He was here, he had found her, and he was going to kill her. But then she noticed that he wasn't even looking at her, in fact, it seemed that he was looking right at Lancaster.

"We can"

Yuri looked over to see the gun come out, just a few inches from his head. At first, he thought he was really going to be killed. It took him a moment to realize he wasn't aiming at Yuri…but at Lancaster.

"Save the world".

Bang.


	27. Unfinished Buisness

The bullet shot cleanly through Lancaster's head, hitting him dead on the forehead. His head whipped back and a small torrent of blood rushed out from where the bullet exited, small droplets splattering on Rika as she stood just a few feet from him. And as his body began to fall back, that's when the panic began.

As soon as the bullet rung out, people ducked in fear and when people saw Lancaster's body fall to the stage, that's when the screams began.

People began to push each other in fear as they ran for their lives as everything became disorderly and confusing. The people on the stage had begun to be herded out by the sudden surge of security guards, all still trying to figure out what just happened.

And in the midst of all this panic, the man who shot Lancaster disappeared into the chaos, gun left on the ground, while the blank faces of thirty people, all undisturbed by the recent event, began to slowly walk threw the chaos towards the three people now waiting at a mysteriously darkened alley.

Ben smiled triumphantly. Good-bye old friend he thought.

His head slowly turned until he spotted Leachman in the maddened mob, all of them beginning to hurtle over the barriers in fear.

One down, one more to go.

"Lets go," he said to the woman.

And one by one, he, Dahlia, Kara, and the thirty other's under her control began to disappear into the shadows.

* * *

_Central Intelligence Agency _

"Angela!" she turned around to see another of her operatives running to her. Great, now what? She thought.

"You're not going to believe this!" the man continued, "Lancaster has just been killed!"

"What?" Angela exclaimed "when?"

"Just two minutes ago, come look" Angela followed him out into the main office, all TV's showing the same headline, that Lancaster had indeed been shot during his press conference in Kirby Plaza.

"When did this happen?" she demanded.

"Just two minutes ago" the man replied "but that's not even half of it". He hurried over to a computer where another operative was busy pulling up something.

"We were able to get this" he continued "just seconds before he was shot".

A security video was pulled up from Kirby Plaza, the scene coming from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "There" he pointed, the video footage pausing "right there".

Angela leaned forward to where he was pointing, squinting her eyes at the fuzzy photo "I can't make it out" she said "can you make it cleaner?"

A small cutout of the person appeared on the upper corner of the screen, the image coming into clearer focus. And there right on the screen was Ben Tania.

"Tania!" she yelled, "how the hell did he get to New York?!"

"We're not sure" the man began but Angela cut him off.

"I really don't care" she said "right now, all I want is the fastest car, plane, anything that will get me to New York".

She turned to address everyone "all right, listen up!" she yelled above the commotion "we have confirmation that Tania is in New York and we do have reason to believe he's the reason that Lancaster is dead. I want a team prepared and ready, so lets move!" immediately, phones were being called, computers being tapped, and people starting to run around the office.

"Lets move it people!" she yelled, "we don't know how long Tania is planning to stick around and I don't want him escaping from us yet again! Its time to take down this fucker! Now MOVE!"

* * *

_Dalton Abbot- 1 mile outside New York _

He was back in New York. Surrounding him were the ghostly outlines of people. Their faces blank, eyes white, all staring at him. From the crowd walked a dark presence, it blood red eyes prominent on the black outline. It stopped at the edge of the crowd; it eyes bearing down on Dalton.

"Get them," it said.

Instantly, the figures began to move, crowding around Dalton, arms outstretched. He was dragged down, gasping for breath, arm outstretched as he reached for help.

He was back in the car, breathing heavily, and sweat glistening on his forehead.

"What is it?" asked Asheera.

"Something's wrong" he said.

* * *

_Clark Leachman- New York City, USA _

Everything was just madness. People were screaming, pushing into each other, all of them trying to get as far away from this place as possible.

"Clark!" Yuri yelled. He felt a strong grip on his shoulder and he found himself being dragged through the chaotic crowd, his legs flailing as he tried to keep up. As he was being led through the madness, he tried processing what had just happened.

Lancaster was dead. But by whom? And why? Clark knew he must have had a lot of enemies but even so, how were they able to get in so easily considering the security? Unless they were people like him, someone who had the ability to become invisible or something. Either way, something was definently up.

As he kept going, someone came barreling through them, Yuri losing his grip on Clark. He quickly lunged his hand out and grabbed onto him before they could become separated in the crowd, nearly tripping over the now toppled barriers.

They kept on going, Yuri suddenly making a sharp turn towards the left, Clark almost losing him again. Fighting against the tide, they were able to break free of the huge mob and duck inside an alleyway.

After a moment adjusting, he was able to see they hadn't lost Catalina. But as for Vince, he was nowhere to be found

"What on earth happened back there?" she said.

"Someone killed Lancaster" Yuri said, who was slumped against the wall, "What else is there to say?"

"Yes but whom?" she asked.

"Guys" Clark tried to say but they ignored him.

"Probably one of his many enemies" he responded, "there's really no saying who did it".

"Surely you must have saw him?" she asked, "You were right there when it happened?"

"He was just some guy" he said "not anyone familiar, just someone who wanted him dead".

Catalina straightened herself, still taking in large gulps of air "what do we do now?"

"Wait, guys" Clark tried again but they still ignored him.

"We get out of here," Yuri said, getting himself of the wall.

"What?" she said, "Just leave?"

"Yes" Yuri said, "Lancaster is dead. That's the whole reason we even came here in the first place, just that someone else got him first. All we have to do is get out of here-".

"Wait, guys!" Clark exclaimed "we lost Vince back there! We have to go and find him".

"I think that would be for the best" Yuri replied.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "We have to go get him!" as Clark began to walk back to the plaza, Yuri stepped in front of him.

"Clark" Yuri said "it would be better if we just left without him".

"What are you talking about?" he said, "We can't just leave him!"

"Yes we can," he said.

"Why are you acting like this?" Clark asked "ever since you first met him, you have done nothing but treat him like shit! what ws it that he did to make you hate him so much! what is it that he did!"

"He's working for Itex!" Yuri shot back.

Clark looked at him; his face suddenly shot of emotion "what?" he asked.

"He's working for Itex" Yuri repeated.

Clark laughed "no, that can't be" he said "your crazy".

"Think about it Clark" Yuri said "don't you find that his story is just a little bit off?"

"I know it's a bit laughable," he said.

"Laughable?" he said, "Laughable ain't even close! I mean, discovering his powers during a full football practice? And no one even saw it? I'm not a football expert but I don't think I would be so preoccupied to not notice a lightning bolt streak across the field".

"so maybe that is a bit off" Clark admitted "but it dosen't matter how he discovered his powers".

"Oh, well how about seeing you on TV and abandoning his life to find you and just so happening to run into you at the motel? I mean, are you kidding me?"

"But he wouldn't do that!" he exclaimed, "He wouldn't try to do that!"

"Trust me Clark, Lancaster was a very persuasive man" he responded.

Clark shook his head "no way, no way, I don't believe you" he said "Catalina, do you here what he's saying?"

"She agrees with me too" Yuri said, "She thinks Vince is working with Itex as well".

Clark turned to Catalina, a solemn expression on her face "is this true?"

She nodded "yes Clark" she said "and with good reason".

"You two are unbelievable!" Clark exclaimed.

"Listen to us Clark" Yuri said, "we bring him and they will find us".

"But you don't know that!" Clark yelled, a sudden surge racing through his body, his eyes flaring up "you guys are just assuming something that you don't even know is true! You think that-"

"There you guys are!" the fire inside Clark suddenly subsided and he turned to see Vince running towards them "I thought I lost you in the crowd for a minute!"

Yuri stepped forward, his hand turning into a solid chunk of ice "you better turn back around and get lost again".

"Yuri!" Clark exclaimed.

Vince looked at the Russian as if he were crazy "what are you doing?"

"Go ahead Clark" he said "ask him. If you believe he's telling the truth, then there's no harm in asking".

"Ask me what?" he asked "what's going on?"

"Go ahead Clark, do it" Yuri said.

"Come on Yuri, this is stupid!" Clark said.

"If he's telling the truth, he can come with us" he responded "but not until I hear it from his mouth".

"Clark, what's going on?" Vince asked.

"Just ask him," Yuri said, looking Clark dead in the eye. This was so stupid he thought, Yuri is just jumping too conclusions, that's all.

"Just ask him," he said again.

"All right, fine!" Clark said, "If this will settle the whole matter". Taking a breath, he looked at Vince, standing a few feet from them with a confused face.

"What is it Clark?" he asked.

He gulped slightly "are you working for Itex?"

Vince's eyebrows raised slightly "what?"

"Are you working for Itex?" he repeated.

Vince laughed "your joking right?" he asked.

"No, we're dead serious" Yuri said.

"Aren't you guys forgetting I didn't even know about this guy till you told me about him?" Vince responded.

"Oh please" Yuri said "like we're going to really believe something as weak as that".

"Just answer the question Vince" Clark said, "that's all you have to do and then we can just put this all behind and get out of here!".

"All right fine" he said, raising his arms "I'm not working for Itex".

"Your joking right?" Yuri asked, "like that pathetic response is going to make us change our mind".

"Fine, whatever" Vince said "if you want something real-" but before he finished that sentence, a lighting bolt suddenly shot from his hand, hitting Yuri square in the chest. He shot out his arm at Catalina but as soon as the first one went flying, a shield suddenly sprang up, deflecting the bolt as it shattered a small portion of the nearby wall.

She then thrust her arms out, the shield flying at Vince, lifting him off the ground and slamming into the wall. Another shield formed right around him, cornering him to the wall.

Clark recovered from the sudden event, realizing he had been standing like a statue during the whole thing. He looked over to see Yuri hauling himself up, a large patch of burnt skin directly on his chest from where the bolt hit him.

"Are you all right?" Catalina asked, helping him up.

"Yeah" he said, wincing slightly "just stings, that's all".

As Vince began to stir, Yuri took a step towards him "thought you could try and kill us?" he asked.

Vince didn't say anything, his eyes on the ground.

"Answer me damn it!" yelled Yuri. raising his icy hand.

"Yuri, please" Catalina said, "now's not the time".

"Why?" Clark asked, "why did you do it?" Vince didn't say anything.

"Just tell me why!" he demanded, "What is it he promised you, huh? Money? Power? Which is it?" he still did not answer him.

Clark clenched his fist, feeling his anger rise, his rage fueling the fire within him "and I thought you were different" Clark went on "but your no better then the kids at school".

Then, Vince said something "I'm sorry".

"Well, well" a sinister voice suddenly rang through out the alley "isn't this a touching moment?"

Shadows suddenly descended on the alley, engulfing one half in complete darkness. From out of the shadows came a man dressed all in black, his face slightly sunken, black hair all frazzled, but the most prominent feature on this man was his eyes, alive with evil and glinting maliciously.

Clark felt his stomach drop, his brain went dead, and he stopped breathing for a moment "you" he finally said.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa _

The world around Rika seemed to have been submerged in water. All the sound around her became muffled and distant, people rushed by in hazy blurs, and her body seemed to have become heavier. At her feet lay the dead body of Lancaster, a pool of blood forming around his head, an oddly calmed expression on his face that seemed creepy and wrong. It was almost as if he was expecting it or something.

She felt someone tug on her shoulder and she was instantly brought out of her daze and everything suddenly came right back at her.

She turned around, one of the security people trying to get her off the stage with the others. Dad! She realized.

Looking around, she couldn't spot him anywhere in the crowd. Where is he? She thought. No longer of any use, she got out of Fiona's body, once again going ghost and instantly, the blanket of silence descended upon her.

A bit dazzled by the sudden muteness, she quickly refocused and flew off towards the direction the Itex people went. Back in the buildings entrance, she dove through the floor and appeared back in the underground parking lot, which was now full of identical vans she had arrived in with Lancaster.

She spotted the people coming off the elevators, all hurrying towards the vans. She hovered over their heads as they passed, scanning each one to find him. But there were a lot of people, to many for her to keep track of, and with all them moving around, it became almost impossible to separate the people she had and had not seen. Things became panicky as people began to load into the cars and take of. As soon as he got into one of those cars, it was going to be almost impossible to find him. Come on dad, where are you? She thought.

There! She had spotted him being lead into one of the cars by a security guy. She zoomed after him, flying right into the car just as her dad closed the door. A woman Rika had never seen before began to look over her dad, trying to see if he was hurt or not, while Mr. Ichikawa kept on waving his hand at her to say he was all right.

Rika dove into the woman and the wave of sound hit her again. It took her a moment again to readjust to the sudden change but quickly pushed it aside. Her dad was staring at her strange.

"Are you all right?" he said.

_Dad, its me!_ Rika signed. Mr. Ichikawa raised his eyebrow, a very confused look on his face.

_Dad, its me Rika!_ She signed again.

_Rika?_ He signed slowly, as if still not believing what was going on.

_Yes, it's me_ she replied.

_How? _Mr. Ichikawa began _how did…how did you?_

_Astral projection_ she said _but you would know about that, wouldn't you?_ He didn't reply, a blank expression on his face.

_We need to talk_ she signed.

He nodded _yes, we should._

* * *

"You know him?" asked Catalina.

"Why yes" the man continued, "though the last time we met, we departed on such…bad terms".

"Who are you?" Yuri demanded, wincing slightly from his wound.

"Better watch that" he continued "looks as though it hurts".

"B-but" Clark stammered, "Y-you can't be a-alive! I watched you burn! I killed you!"

Annoyance crossed his face "yes but while your little firestorm didn't kill me, it sure hurt like a son of a bitch".

"What's he talking about Clark?" Yuri asked.

"He's the whole reason why I lost control in Detroit" Clark continued "its why I was forced to go on the run. He tried to kill me!"

"Yes and I would have succeeded" the man said "had I not realize you would go berserk on me and destroy a whole section of the city. But now, things are diffrent".

"What do you want?" Yuri asked.

An evil smile appeared on his face "what do I want?" he repeated. He raised his arm and pointed at Clark "him".

He felt his body suddenly seize up, as if a giant hand had closed its fingers around him. Clark tried to move but found himself frozen on the spot. Slowly he rose into the air and began to drift over to the man.

"No!" Catalina yelled, sprinting over to Clark.

The man rolled his eyes and with a lazy flick of his wrist, she was knocked off her feet and went head first into the wall, falling to the ground in a crumpled heap and the shield around Vince disappearing.

"Catalina!" yelled Yuri "you bastard!" he thrust out his arm and sent a large chunk of ice right at him.

His lips curled into a snarl, eyes turning into slits. He clenched one of his fists and swung out his arm, shattering the ice into a thousand pieces.

"My turn" he said deviously.

His fist suddenly snapped open, the ice shards stopping in midair, and with another swing of his arm, they went flying like bullets.

They shot through Yuri with deadly speed, small clouds of blood erupting from his body as they passed through, each one making a sickening noise as they pierced flesh and bone.

The last one went through and Yuri stood their motionless, arm still outstretched and mouth hung slightly open. He lowered his eyes and brought a hand to his chest, now dotted with numerous black marks.

He staggered backwards, falling against the wall, weezy noises escaping from his mouth as he gasped for air.

The man looked at him curiously, head cocked slightly to the side "that's an interesting power" he said, "I think I'd like to have it". He raised his arm and extended his forefinger, pointing directly at Yuri's head.

A lighting bolt collided into his chest, two more following that and another right at his head. He screamed in pain and clenched his face, Clark feeling himself free from his grasp. Turning around, Vince was standing just a few feet from him with his palm open, a white ball of electricity curled up in his fist.

The man slowly lowered his hand, the entire left half of his face completely burned, eye swollen shut and blood oozing from the open wound. His other eye, however, was filled with rage.

"You're gonna pay for that" he hissed.

"Try me" Vince replied.

He chuckled "oh really?" he said.

"Go on" Vince said, "hit me with your best shot".

The man gave a large, toothy smile that just seemed so disturbing on his face "all right". Instantly, Clark felt like something was wrong.

From out of the shadows, a blue blur streaked across the alley, Clark feeling the sharp slice of wind as it zoomed past him, inches from his head.

The blur hit Vince dead on and he exploded in a cloud of blood. Chunks of flesh and blood hit the alley walls and covered everything in a sickly scarlett color. Clark stood there frozen, eyes wide open, covered with the warm liquid, small rivlets running down his face.

"Vince?" he said weakly.

A manic cackle echoed around the alley, a woman stepping out of the shadows, hair all wild and mangy, with a sadistic look on her face.

She tutted "pity, pity, pity" she said, bringing a glowing hand to her mouth "I think I hit him to hard" she gave another cackle, her face just filled with joy as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Oh my love" she said "you're hurt".

"Its fine" he said "I've had worse".

She smiled, turning her head over to Yuri, still slumped against the wall "what about him?" she asked, "Should I dispose of him as well?" Clark felt his heart tighten.

The man tapped his foot for a moment "no" he said, his gaze diverted back to Clark "I think I'll let him die a little bit more slowly". He lifted one of his fingers, causing a steel pipe to erupt suddenly from one of the walls.

He brought it to his side, twirledhis finger slightly to shave off a part of the end until it became a makeshift harpoon.

"here, catch". He flung out his arm, sending the pipe ziping through the air, impaling Yuri right in the shoulder.

He screamed in pain, desperately grabbing at the metal that now extruded from him. Clark tried to step forward but then "oh no you don't" and he felt the invisible hand on him again, freezing him in his tracks.

"You're gonna come with me" the man continued, pulling Clark towards him until he was only inches from his blood soaked face "its time to claim something I should have had a long time ago".

Come on, come on! Clark yelled inside him, trying to bring his powers up, just do something, anything! Come on!

"Oh and try any of your little fire tricks" he continued "and I'll make sure Dahlia here does to you what she did to your friend". She giggled and waved at him with her glowing hand.

"By the way Clark" the man said, leaning closer to him "we didn't exactly get off on a good start the first time we met, so allow me to introduce myself more properly. My name is Ben" his cold hand closed around his neck, Clark's eyes now wide with terror.

"Yeah, you better look at me" he said "for this will be the last face you will ever see on this earth".

He turned toward the bloody Yuri, hand still grasped to the pipe, his dark brown eyes locked on Ben "tell Lancaster I said hello".

Yuri spat out a large glob of blood, landing directly on Ben's shoes "Charming" he said.

"Clark" he said in a strained voice "don't worry, I'll come and recue you. Just hang in there".

"Ah" Ben said "how touching, the dying hero makes his final promise". He raised his hand, the steel pipe going even futher in. Yuri letting out an anguished cry and Clark felt himself choke up, a tear falling from his eye.

"come darling" he said, lowering his hand "we're done here".

"yes, my love" she replied, kissing him on the lips, Clark feeling his insides boil.

With his prey now in hand, Ben turned around, one hand clasped around Clark's neck and the other wrapped around Dahlia, and the three disappeared into the shadows.


	28. Father to Daughter

_Catalina Portillo- New York City, USA_

Catalina cracked one eye open, twinkling lights flashing before her eyes. she blinked, the lights slowly ebbing away, until only the light of the setting sun was still visible. It took her a moment to figure out what had just happened but once she did, she began to slowly pull herself up. Her head was throbbing and she felt extremely dizzy, and strangely enough, she felt slightly damp and smelled funny, a strong iron smell.

She brought her arm up, her white shirt now sprayed with blood. Her eyes widen and she slowly turned around, until she saw the walls, now glinting menacingly with the red liquid.

"No" she whispered.

She heard someone groan. Turning back, she saw a bloodied figure slumped against the wall, a rod pierced through his upper shoulder. Yuri.

"Yuri!" she yelled, dashing over to him.

"Catalina" he said in a strained voice "your okay".

She shushed him "don't speak, save your strength". She let out an anguished cry, bringing a trembling hand up to his chest.

"What happened?" she said "where's-?"

"Vince is dead" he replied "and they took Clark".

"They?" she asked.

"That man, Ben, and his girlfriend" he clenched his teeth and let out another groan "they took him somewhere. we have to stop them, before that psycho kills him".

"All right" she said, tears welling in her eyes "that's enough now. I'll get help okay? We'll get you better and then we'll go and rescue Clark, all right?".

"All right" he said, letting out a wheezy laugh "You better hurry, I'm not sure a person in this condition can hold on much longer". His laugh turned into another moan of pain and his body shuddered.

"All right, all right" she said, backing up "you just hang in there, I'll get help. Just hold on for a few more minutes Yuri, don't die on me!" she then began to run up the alley, tears now streaming down her face.

She turned down the corner and back into the main street, now almost deserted of people. She frantically looked around.

"Help!" she yelled, "someone please help! My friend is hurt! Please!" she gave a sob, looking around for any sign of people.

She spotted a truck coming from up the road and with it she gave another sob but this time for relief.

She began to run towards the truck, waving her arms above her head and yelling as loud as she could.

"STOP!" she yelled "PLEASE STOP!"

* * *

_Dalton Abbot _

As soon as they had entered the city, they found out about the events that took place at Kirby Plaza. It was all over the radio, the news reporting of the shooting and killing of Lancaster during his press conference at approximately 5: 21 PM.

"No way!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Quiet!" Asheera said.

"It would appear that no one was able to get a clear view of the shooter" the man continued "and no one else was harmed in the shooting. Police are still arriving on the scene as we speak and all roads leading to the plaza have since been closed off-"

At one point during the broadcast, Dalton diverted his eyes from the radio and back onto the main road, just in time to see a blood soaked woman waving her arms frantically and heading right for them.

"Watch out!" he yelled.

The driver quickly slammed on the brakes, the wheels squealing and the car swerving slightly before coming to a halt.

"What the fuck?" Tyler said, the sudden stop causing him to tumble out of his seat.

Just then, the woman began to bang on the window, yelling frantically, giving Asheera a good scare.

"Help!" she yelled, "someone is badly hurt! Please!"

"Whoa, what's with her?" Tyler asked.

"Hang on, I'll handle this," the driver said, getting out of the car. Walking over the frantic woman, he tried calming her down but to no avail, as she desperately grabbed onto his arm and began to drag him off.

"Hey! Wait!" Dalton yelled, getting out of the car.

"Dalton!" Asheera called for him.

"Please miss!" the driver exclaimed, "This is really not necessary!"

"We have to hurry!" she replied, "He's going to die!"

"Wait, wait!" Dalton said, running in front of her "just slow down! Now who's dying?"

"My friend!" she replied "and if we don't go now, he'll die! please!"

"All right, all right!" he said, "just show me where okay?"

This seemed to calm her down. She let go of the driver and began to motion for Dalton to follow her.

"Hey, wait!" the driver called "where do you think your going? We still have to find Leachman! Abbot! Abbot!"

He knew that the driver was right but Dalton just couldn't leave some guy to die, even if it was someone he had never met before. And by the looks of this woman, all covered in blood, something really bad must have happened. So he ignored his calls and began to follow her.

"Hey! What's your name?" he asked her.

"Catalina!" she replied.

"nice to meet you Catalina" he said.

They turned down one of the alleys, making a right at the junction point and then another turn until they appeared at the place.

"What the fuck?" Dalton said, seeing the blood splattered walls glinting in the setting sunlight.

He then spotted the man, his whole body covered in what looked like bullet holes and a large pipe sticking out of his right shoulder, pinning him to the wall like some modern crucifiction. At first, Dalton thought the guy was surely dead, until he got close enough to hear his ragged breath.

"Yuri!" she exclaimed "its all right now! I've brought help!"

"That's nice," he said in an exasperated voice.

"Dalton!" he turned to see Asheera, the driver and Tyler running towards him "what are you think-" she stopped when she noticed the blood on the walls and came to a complete halt right in front of the impaled man named Yuri.

"Shit" Tyler said.

"What on earth happened?" Asheera asked, taking a step towards the man.

"Got attacked" he said through gritted teeth "came out of nowhere. Killed a kid, took the other".

Catalina hushed him "be quite, you have to save your strength".

"You!" Dalton directed towards the driver "call an ambulance, or Nola, anyone that can get help here!"

"Help" the driver said "right" he then turned around and began to run.

"Listen" Yuri, continued, ignoring her request "Remember when I said we go get Clark? You think you can still keep that promise for me?"

"No, don't talk like that!" Catalina said, "You just got to hold on Yuri!"

"Wait, Clark?" Asheera asked "as in Clark Leachman?"

"You know him?" Catalina asked, turning to her.

"No, not really" she replied "but it's the reason we're here in the first place".

"Why?" she asked, taking a step back "are you all with Lancaster?"

"No, no!" she replied quickly "no, we're not with him! We're apart of some other group, one that doesn't fully believe in Lancaster's methods".

"Others?" Catalina asked, "There are others?"

As Asheera began to tell Catalina about the other group, Dalton couldn't help but look at the man slowly dying before them. He was almost unrecognizable with so much blood covering his face but as Dalton kept on looking at him, he began to see past all the red until he was able to get a pretty clear image in his mind. The mouth, nose, eyes, a face that only brought one word to mind.

Mumbai…

"I know you" Dalton said at last.

The two women stopped and looked at him "I'm sorry?" Catalina asked.

"Its him Asheera" he continued.

"Who?" Asheera asked.

"The guy I told you about, back in Mumbai" Dalton said "the one who tried to capture me in my apartment. He's working for Itex".

She turned to Catalina "is this true?"

"Yes, it is" she replied "but you have to understand, he isn't with them anymore! We came here to try to stop them! Like you!"

"How do we not know this is a trap?" Dalton asked.

"Are you serious?" she said "do you really think we go through all this just so we can catch a few random people from some other organization!"

"Dalton please" Asheera said "I think their telling the truth".

"How can we be so certain?" he asked.

"Look at him!" she exclaimed, "This is a dying man! And not only that, he was with Leachman! The very same person Lancaster was after!"

"Exactly!" Dalton replied "all very convenient, don't you think? And how do not know that this isn't the work of someone's ability? How do we not know he's simply playing mind tricks on us?"

"Please" Yuri croaked, "you have to believe me. I'm sorry for what I did. I want to make things right. You just have to trust me, otherwise Clark will most certinantly die". He coughed violently, more blood trickling running down from his mouth.

"No!" Catalina yelled, "No Yuri please! Just hold on a little longer!"

"We can discuss this another time" Asheera said "right now, we need to-"

"Wait" Dalton said.

"What?" she asked.

"Its Tyler, something's wrong with him". The two girls turned around.

Tyler was slumped over slightly, his body convulsing slightly while long hair began to sprout from his body. He was beginning to transform.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa _

_Why didn't you tell me?_ She asked her father.

_It was for your own protection_ he replied _believe me Rika, I never wanted to drag you into this world._

_Then why did you?_ She responded _why did you have to take a job for them? After all they've done? how could you take their side!_

_It was different back then_ he signed _back then, I believe we were going to do something great. Change the world, for the better! But after awhile, it seemed we had done more bad then good._

Rika paused for a moment. _Did mom know? _She signed.

He nodded _yes, she did. From the start. It was her who first got me into Itex._

_What do you mean?_ She asked.

_Your mother had powers as well Rika_ he signed.

This one made Rika go blank for a moment. _What?_

_Its true. Surely you didn't think these powers came from nowhere?_

_They certainly appeared from nowhere._ The two of them were silent for a moment, the car making a gentle thrum in Rika's ears. And for once, it was a pleasant sound.

_Why did mom go to Itex?_ She finally asked.

_She wanted answers_ he signed _she first discovered her abilities when she was only five years old, by way of trying to catch a rubber ball. She just took off when she jumped for it, and when she landed, she fractured her spine and was paralyzed from the waist down for almost four years of her life. Your grandma was there when it happened._

_But mom recovered, right?_

_She did_ he signed _she just defied experts one day and took her first steps in almost four years, after many sessions of physical therapy. Back then, there was no one around who could help her with her condition, so she spent the rest of her life hiding it from the world. She never even told me till the day we went to Itex._

_And what? They just offered you a job?_

_No_ he replied _it wasn't until much later till I was able to get a job at the corporation, which was about the same time Itex actually became a worldwide organization. Back then, it was just a small business working out of London. when they came to Japan, they offered me a position as one of the vice presidents. It was something I could not refuse._

He paused for a moment _Rika_ he signed _since we're being honest, I think its time now that I'd told you how mom died._

_What do you mean?_ She asked _she died of brain cancer._

_No she didn't _he signed _I told you that so you wouldn't know the truth._

Rika mouth gaped slightly _b-but then, how did she die?_

_She was murdered_ he signed.

_Murdered? _She signed weakly, just finding it so hard to believe _by who?_

_By a man named Ben Tania_ he replied.

As soon as he finished, Rika's mind began to race. Tania? THE Ben Tania? The same guy who tried to kill her back in Tokyo? He killed her mom?

_He was Lancaster's protégée_ he signed but Rika cut him off. 

_I already know about him _she signed hastily _what I do want to know is why? Why did he kill her?_

Her father paused for a moment, his thoughts etched on his face. He was trying to think of the best way to say it Rika thought.

_Tania_ he began _was a lot like his master, both seeking to make the world a better place for these new super humans. However, Tania's perspective was a far more radical one then his master._

_Which was? _She asked.

_He believed that this new generation of human kind was the superior species, an upgrade almost of an older model. And like all out of date products, they had to be cast aside._

_Meaning what exactly? _She asked.

_That all those without abilities_ he signed _had to be exterminated._

_Killed? _She signed.

_Yes, killed_ he replied _now naturally, Lancaster disagreed with this idea, as did everyone else. Even though there were now super powered people, it was still only a small fraction of the human population, there were still almost six billion other regular people in the world today. what he was proposing was worldwide genocide._

_What does all this have to do with mom then?_

_Well, when it became obvious Lancaster was not going to follow his views _he continued _he decided that it was essentially up to him to do it himself. So he secretly began to conduct experiments on himself, to try and modify his DNA as to make his ability stronger. But along the way, he hit a snag in his plan. He needed more data to go on, other then his own._

He stopped and rubbed his forehead. He took a deep breath before continuing _so one night, during one of the Itex's business parties, he decided to find his missing data. He and Lancaster were in Tokyo to oversea some of the new deals…_

* * *

"And I take it you have already set the plans out?" Koji Ichikawa asked Lancaster, Ben standing right next to him.

"Of course" he replied in perfect Japanese, "Nakamura and I go back a long time, so it was quite easy to persuade him to join".

"Sorry Arthur" said Ben "but I feel I must excuse myself for a moment, do you mind?"

"Not at all Ben" he said "by all means". He nodded and headed off. Good riddance Mr. Ichikawa thought. There was something very shifty about that man. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he knew something was off about him.

"Hello dear" said Chiharu Ichikawa, appearing at his side and giving him a small peck on the cheek.

"Hey" he replied.

"I swear," she said "Kira must have had five drinks already cause she is making a complete ass of herself over there".

"Yep, definitely sounds like a business party" Lancaster said.

"Chiharu" he said, "this is Mr. Lancaster".

"Pleasure to meet you" she said, shaking his hand.

"Pleasure is all mine" he replied, kissing her hand "Koji, you are quite the lucky man to nab a beauty like this".

She laughed "oh stop" she said.

"You better" Koji replied, "Cause once she hears a complement, there's no stopping her".

"Hey!" she said, "I do no such thing. And like your any better".

"Funny and beautiful" Lancaster said.

"Well thank you Mr. Lancaster," she said "that's very kind".

"Ah, there you are Lancaster," said Hiroshi Suzuki, current president of Itex's Japan headquarters "we are ready to discuss the Nakamura deal".

"Very good" Lancaster said, "Koji, are you coming?"

"Yes sir" he said, "you mind dear?"

"No" she said, "I was going to the bathroom anyway".

"All right" he said, "when I'm done dealing with this, we'll head back home". She nodded, gave him on last kiss, and walked away.

The three men, along with the five other vice-presidents, discussed not only the Nakamura deal but also about progress in research, pharmacy expansions, politics, and just about everything that dealt with the growing super human population.

Sensing how long this may take, he figured it was best he tell Chiharu. But she seemed to have been gone a long time. He had not seen her at all since she left and if memory served him, she had not yet returned.

That's when the scream happened. Almost immediately, silence entered the room and tension began to rise.

One of the doors suddenly flung open, a hysteric woman yelling "QUICK! QUICK! SOMEONE'S BEEN KILLED!!!"

* * *

Dead silence had now entered the car. Rika's father now had his head hung and from the corner of his eye, she could spot a tear forming.

_They found your mother_ he finally signed _lying in the hallway, pronounced dead on the spot. It seemed as though her whole top of her head had been sewn off. And what was even more disturbing...her brain was missing._

He paused again. _It wasn't until two years later we finally found out what Ben was up to. It seemed that he had been kidnapping others from all around the London area, taking them to his lab and stealing their brains._

_But then, that day at the hospital_ she began, referring to the day after the events her father had just described.

_We had the doctor make up the whole thing_ he signed _a brain tumor that had simply gone unnoticed until finally it just became so bad she just dropped dead. That's what we told everyone outside the business party and made everyone else inside the party promise they wouldn't breath a word of this to no one._

_Why?_ she asked.

_Lancaster figured it was best to keep this as quite as possible_ he continued _we did not want people to start panicking thinking that a killer was amongst them._

_And you guys never suspected Tania until just recently?_ She asked.

_No one thought that Tania was responsible_ he signed _it was only by shear luck we even found out it was him._

_How?_

_When he tried to make a grab for another_ he signed _we began to suspect for a while he may be behind it. But Lancaster would only take physical proof. So we had people tail him for a few weeks. One day, he managed to figure out what was going on and he somehow slipped from their sights._

_And?_

_They found him in the middle of one of his attacks_ he signed _when he was still using the saw to cut of the victoms head._

_So what happened then?_ She asked.

_He was brought forth to Lancaster_ he signed _where he was striped of all his position and was ordered to be locked up in one of the holding cells beneath the building, for the rest of his living life._

_You guys have cells? Like jail cells?_

_Sort of_ he said _its wear we housed some of the most dangerous people we have ever acquired, people who did not want to change and wanted to bring harm to others. But when we were transferring him below, he somehow managed to escape. When he learned about the murders, we knew it was him. And it confirmed our worst fears. He had somehow managed to modify his power._

_And yet with all these powered humans on your side, you still couldn't catch him? _Rika asked.

_Somehow, he managed to figure out a way to avoid any of our traces_ he signed _by the time we found out about any murders that took place he was already gone. It was almost like catching a ghost. Not only that but we had no idea just how many abilities he managed to steal. For all consideration, he may very well be one of the most powerful humans in the entire world._

_One more question_ she signed _did you ever suspect I had this ability?_

_There was a possibility_ he signed _most of the time, the genetic code is passed on from parent to child but other times, it sort of skips over. I figured maybe one day you would find out. Just, I didn't expect that day to come so soon._

She nodded. _Thank you_ she signed.

_Wait, Rika, what are you doing?_

_There's still something I have to do._

_No Rika, this is not your fight._

_Sorry dad_ she signed _but this is something I have to do._

_No! Rika!_

_Bye._

And before he could do anything, she phased out of the woman's body.

* * *

"Wait! Rika!" Ichikawa yelled as he saw his assistant's body slump over slightly. He lunged forward and grabbed her by the arms.

"Rika! Rika wait!"

her glazed over eyes suddenly came back into focus and she gave him a look of pure terror "sir! Sir! What are you doing!"

he was to late.

He quickly dove for the front of the van "stop the car! Stop the car right now!"

"but sir, we have to-"

"stop the damn car!"

"I can't do that sir, we have to keep going…sir! What are you doing".

Mr. Ichikawa threw open the side door and without a second thought, jumped from the speeding car. He hit the pavement hard, his suit ripping and the stinging pain of flesh against asphalt. He shook his head and pushed the pain out of his mind. He got to his feet and began to run as fast as his injured leg could carry him.

I'll find you Rika he thought, I won't lose you as well.

* * *

Rika found herself back inside her body, just in time to feel the rumble of the car as it began to start up.

She quickly grabbed her discarded translator and wrote down hastily _where are we going?_

Words began to appear in response. _Change of events. Something has happened in the city and we have to get out._

_But the others! We can't just leave them!_ She wrote in response but the man simply shoved the thing out of the way, not bothering to look at it.

She made frantic waving motions and distressed sounds, trying anything to get these guys to turn around. It soon became obvious they were not going to listen to her and she was gonna have to do things herself.

She quickly flew out of her body and made a dive for the guy in the passenger seat. Not letting the sudden wave of sound stop her, she grabbed the door handle and flung it open.

"h-hey!" the driver yelled "what are you doing!" and she dove out of the car, quickly pulling out before she hit the pavement. She then turned around and flew at the driver.

She thrust her foot on the breaks, the car coming to a jarring halt. She opened the door and jumped out of the car, once again pulling out of her body and flying back into her own. She got off the truck floor and hurried into the drivers seat, closing the door behind her.

The man suddenly appeared, pounding on the door and yelling something at her. She locked the doors before he could open them and slamming on the breaks, the car took off down the road. Looking in the rearview mirror, the driver was still making a run for it but he just could not keep up with the car and as she made a turn, he vanished.

She took a deep breath. All right she thought, that's over with, now I just have to drive this thing to the city, now all I have to do is find out how to get to the city.

Yep, this shouldn't be too hard.


	29. Blood Tide

_Tyler Morgan_

He had to do something. They were going to get nowhere just standing around discussing who's with who while this man died in front of them. They needed to take action.

Deep down, he felt something stir.

He grabbed his chest, eyes going wide. Was the beast awakening again?

He felt a pulse, a small one that resonated through out his body. What's going on? He thought. His instincts told him to turn his head.

The beast was staring at him, reflection caught in a splatter of blood on the wall. They both stared at each other, blue eyes meeting yellow.

What do you want?

Must help.

Tyler found himself mouthing those words, gasping slightly. He had not heard a voice talk to him, just something in his head that seemed to let the words out, as if his own.

He got over the shock, looking back at the beast. What do you mean?

He dies. Must help.

It happened again. He once again found himself mouthing the words as if they came from his own head.

Why now? Its never like you've wanted to help before, just make a mess of things.

Must help.

He shook his head in frustration. Why should I believe you?

Trust.

Trust? He asked, trust you? Do you really think I'm so foolish?

Trust.

You keep saying it, yet I don't believe you.

There was nothing for a moment, both man and beast silent.

We help, save, trust.

Tyler heard someone cough. Looking over, he saw the man shudder, blood spilling from his mouth, the woman running towards him.

He looked at the ground, fist clenched.

Trust.

He raised his head, the beast still looking at him. Trust.

All right, Tyler said, lets do this.

The beast nodded, its face slowly fading till there was nothing.

Tyler felt it deep inside, his vision wavering and his heart pumping. That was fast he thought sardonically. He stumbled slightly, an arm shooting out to grab the blood stained wall, nails elongating even as they dug into the brick. Dark brown fur sprouting all over his body, muscles bulging, teeth elongating, until with one final shake of his man, he had transformed into the beast.

He blinked, realizing for the first time he was conscious, actually in control. He huffed slightly, raising a bulky arm that felt odd and heavy, as if he was controlling some giant puppet. He stared inquisitively at his hand, ape like in appearance, clicking his nails as he flexed his long fingers.

Staring down, he saw the others were cowering slightly, backing away in fear. He didn't blame them, who wouldn't do the same when confronted with this monster? Especially one thats caused so much trouble.

He took one step forward, the three of them giving a gasp, Tyler quivering slightly. This was a lot more difficult then he thought.

Help, yes?

That would be kind he replied.

He felt another adrenalin rush, his vision slightly going a tinge red but he was still very much in control. He took another step towards the impaled man, only this time his step was more natural, fluid, as if he had been doing this since he was three.

Like riding a bike he thought.

He raised an arm, hand clasping the wrought iron pipe, another resting on the wall. Sorry about this he thought. And with one clean pull, the pipe came out, a slight spurt of blood escaping, while the man tumbled to the ground.

One problem solved he thought, now where is that fucking ambulance?

* * *

_Clark Leachman _

"Clark" he heard Ben say his name in that menacing tone "Clark, look at me".

Clark was, as of this moment, strapped down to a chair by large cords of thick black rope. Ben was standing in front of him, his blood red eyes seemingly blazing into his skull. Clark kept his head diverted to the ground, not wanting to look at this wretched man.

"Now Clark" he continued "there really is no need to be rude". He did not respond to him, he kept his head firmly turned to the side, eyes diverted to the floor.

"If you won't look at me," he said, voice taking on a lethal edge "I will have to force you too. And let me tell you, it won't be very pleasant. Is that what you want? Is it?" Clark still gave him no acknowledgement.

He heard Ben sigh, "Clark, I really thought you were a better behaved child then this," he said "here I am, trying to have a simple little conversation with you and yet you continue to ignore me".

"Why bother" Clark said at last "you're going to kill me anyway".

Ben let out an amused laugh "kill you? Why would I want to harm such a precious boy like you?" he brought a hand to Clark's face, fingers gently brushing his cheek, a shiver running up his back.

"Now come on Clark," he said "enough with these little games. Now I am asking you kindly if you will have a talk with me and all I am getting is attitude from you". Clark spat on his shoe in response, eyes flaring slightly.

Anger crossed Ben's face, his own eyes darkening in rage "now that wasn't very nice" suddenly Clark felt his hand grab a chunk of his hair "that was a very rude thing to do, now I asked you nicely but it seems you have given me no choice. Now, look at me!" he yanked Clark's head upward, until both brown and red eyes were locked with each other.

"Now listen here you little shit," he said, all pleasantries long since abandoned "and listen good. I asked you nicely for a simple little conversation but you had to act like a stubborn brat" he yanked hard, Clark gasping in pain "a rude, thoughtless little brat!" and he pulled with all his might, lifting Clark and the chair right off the ground and hurtling through the air.

Clark landed with a thud on his side, pain searing up his body, his scalp feeling like it was on fire. The chair then flipped back onto all fours and went skidding across the floor until it stopped right in front of Ben, who lowered himself to Clark's level.

"And like all little brats" he said, hand suddenly grabbing a large chunk of Clark's face, fingers digging into his skin "they deserve to be punished".

His eyes were now livid red; filled with rage, hungry for blood, ready to kill.

"You know" Ben continued, "I really don't like children". He let go of Clark's face, breathing heavily.

"But before I kill you" he said "I want to send a little message. One that will teach you a lesson and one that will tell your friends and those Itex fools exactly who they are dealing with".

He raised himself up until he was at his full height, turning around and walking away from him.

He stopped, back still turned to Clark, obviously contemplating what he was going to do to him.

"Tell me Clark" he said after a moment, turning back around to face him "have you ever read the Harry Potter books?" he chuckled slightly, amused by his own question, Clark merely giving him an odd look.

"What am I saying?" he said half to himself "of course you have, every kid in the world has read those books. But anyway, you wanna know who's my favorite character in that entire series?"

When Clark didn't answer him, he said "Dolores Umbridge" he began to once again walk towards him.

"You want to know why?" he asked, "Cause there is nothing better then a great villain for a great series. And there is one chapter in particular that gives us a mere glimpse into the madness of this woman". He stopped, once again standing right in front of Clark.

"You see at one point" he continued "our beloved hero has to serve detention with her. His punishment? To write lines for her, quite harmless yes? But oh no, she turns something as seemingly innocent as a few scribbled passages into a punishment equal to that of a slow, painful torture" he suddenly began to smile, Clark's heart beat going up a few paces, and a horrible pit forming in his stomach.

"So she gives him lines" he said, smile still plastered on his face "about enough times for, as she put it 'for the message to sink in'. See she gives him this very special quill that, when you write with it, actually carves the message into the back of your hand, only then to have the message swiped clean as if it was never there. And she has him do it, over an over and over again, until there comes a point when that message has permanently sunk in, they're to remind the writer and our hero, forever about the punishment he committed".

He brought his face closer to Clarks; red eyes shining like brightly lit stars "so if it worked for Dolores…it will most certainly work for you".

He raised himself up, face slightly disappearing into the shadows. His arm slowly rose up, Clark feeling the chair lift off the ground.

"Now" he said "personally, I feel that the back of a hand is far to small an area to get a message across, don't you think?" his index finger slowly extended until it was pointing directly at Clark's chest.

"This may sting a little," he said.

Suddenly, a stinging pain raced up Clark's body, a pain that quickly began to morph into something far greater until it became far too much and he screamed in pain. It was as if someone was carving into him with a great big rusty butcher knife. White hot and searing, he could only watch in horror as blood began to seep into his shirt and run down his chest.

He rolled his head back, eyes going white, teeth clenched, trying to break free, anything to make the pain stop. With great effort, he opened his eyes and stared at the cords that bound him, trying to force them aflame. But as Ben kept cutting into his skin, it became more and more difficult to concentrate. He couldn't even muster up a little surge, the pain just consuming him, rendering him completely helpless. And it wouldn't stop.

His vision began to waver, his head getting heavier as more and more blood began to escape his body. He was breathing heavy, brow sweating, tears streaming down his face.

"P-please stop" he croaked desperately.

This caused Ben to laugh manically "oh no Leachman, I'm not going to stop. As Umbridge would say, naughty children deserve to be punished!" and with that last word, a door suddenly flew open, causing Ben to lose his concentration, the chair falling right back to the ground, splintering slightly from the impact.

"Wha-?" he said as he turned around

"Freeze!" a woman yelled "Angela Hanson of the CIA. Benjamin Tania, you are under arrest".

* * *

_Catalina Portillo _

"Yuri!" Catalina yelled as the beast yanked the pole from his body.

She got to her knees; lifting up his head gently "Yuri!" she yelled again "stay with me!"

"Ow" he whispered silently.

"Just hang on Yuri," she said, "the ambulance is going to be here soon".

"I Think it's a bit late for that" he croaked.

"Don't you say that" she said "don't give up just yet. Yuri? Yuri!" his eyes began to roll back and she felt his body begin to convulse in small spasms.

"Yuri no!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around him "don't die on me! Please don't die on me".

And that's when it happened. Both of Catalina's hand began to glow a soft blue color, barely noticeable at first, but that sky blue light slowly began to darken until it turned a deep turquoise. Her attention now caught, she looked down, eyes widening at what was happening.

"W-what?" she gasped.

"Look!" Dalton pointed.

She stared back down at Yuri, where a miracle began to take place. The wounds that scattered his body began to close, blood disappearing from his face and body. One by one, each of the holes closed up, disappearing like a lantern that had just been flicked off, even the giant wound on his shoulder beginning to vanish.

And once it was over, Yuri now laid before them, completely healed, blood free, as if nothing had ever happened to him.

He moaned slightly, his eyes flickering back open "w-what…what happened?" he asked.

"Uh…uh, I-" Catalina tried to answer but nothing came to her, cause even she didn't know what just happened.

"Wait" Dalton said, "That wasn't your power?"

"No it wasn't" she said, "I didn't even know I…that I could do that".

"Asheera" Dalton said, "You're the expert here".

"Well" she began "I have to say, I have never comprehended the idea that people could acquire two abilities…naturally, I mean. For all I can say, it has to be the genetic coding. Its extraordinary really, thinks of the possibilities this could bring!"

"Well" Yuri said, as he started to hoist himself up "that's all very interesting but that maniac still has Clark" he was now on his feet "and unless we do something quick, he's going to kill him".

* * *

The van was parked outside the abandoned warehouse, waiting for any signs of movement within its walls. If what Angela's sources told her were true, Ben was holed up inside this building, allegedly with another victim. But for two hours, they had been sitting on their asses with not one sign he was even here nor any indications something fowl was going on. 

"Are you sure about this?" she asked Dawson, his eyes on the screen, a grainy image of the warehouse on it.

"That's what we got from headquarters" he replied.

"Well we've been here for hours" she replied "and I have not seen one sign of him, all I have seen is just some old abandoned building".

"They said they got visual confirmation that Tania had entered this building" Dawson said "along with two other people, a woman and a boy".

"Yes, you told me that already" she said "and if that were true we would have seen them by now".

"Maybe he's keeping a low profile".

"Or he already knew we were here" she said, "We wait a few more minutes. If not, we call back to Langley and see what we can-"

"Wait a minute" Dawson said suddenly, shifting slightly in his seat to get a bit closer to the screen.

"What?" she asked, now interested as well "did you see something?"

"Hold on" he said, clicking on the mouse pad, the screen zooming in to one of the top windows "I thought I saw…"

Though it was tough to make out, Angela was able to see a shadowy figure moving across the room "there! Right there! Zoom in, quick!"

"All right, all right" he said, clicking again, the camera zooming in.

The image was still too grainy to make out "can't we clean this image up?" she asked.

"I'll try". He did a bit of fancy work on the keyboard, the image clearing up, but not a whole lot. All she could see was just some shadowy blur on the screen.

"Real top notch equipment," she said in frustration.

"At least we know someone is in there," he said.

Looking at the screen, the figure had stopped at the very end of the window's view.

"What do you thinks going on?" he asked.

"I'm not sure" she said, "may be talking to someone or just standing they're like an idiot".

"We got movement again" the figure disappeared from the windows view.

"Shit" she said, "quick, move this thing over".

The camera zoomed out, turning slightly till it had a shot of the other window. It zoomed in again but Angela couldn't see anything.

"Not there" he said.

"I can see that" she said, "What is going on?" then she saw it. It was quick but she was able to see a figure go flying by the window.

"Whoa" she said, "did you see that?"

"Yeah, I saw it" he responded, the camera zooming in more. The figure reappeared in the window, another one sliding into view.

"Okay, we got something now" Dawson said.

"Give the call" Angela said, pulling out her gun "I want all forces here in five minutes".

"H-hey!" he said, "what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she said, loading in a fresh clip "I'm not going to stand around while he kills another".

"B-but Angela!" he said as she opened the door.

"Give the call," she said.

"But-"

"Dawson" she said in a firm voice "that's an order".

"Wait!" he called once more but she was out the door, slamming it shut behind her. She dashed across the parking lot, flattening herself against the wall, gun raised. She sidled over to the door, extending a cautious hand to the doorknob, grasping it, finger on her trigger.

Twisting the knob, she flung the door open, her gun out and ready for any surprise. All clear. Looking around, she spotted the entrance to the stairwell up ahead. She ran across the deserted area, slowing down once she reached the doorway.

She looked up, all clear as well. She climbed up the steps, careful to not make to much noise. She tensed up whenever she reached one of the levels, making sure to keep her gun pointed at all time. The last thing she needed was for that other person to get the jump on her, ruining her only chance at a clean arrest.

She finally reached the top floor and already, she knew something was wrong. Walking very slowly to the closed door, she could hear something on the other side.

"P-please stop" she heard an anguish voice sound and a diabolical laugh following after.

"Oh no Leachman, I'm not going to stop. As Umbridge would say, naughty children deserve to be punished!" that was it, she was going in.

She kicked open the door, gun raised, pointed right at Ben's back.

"What-?" he said in surprise.

"Freeze!" she yelled "Angela Hanson of the CIA. Benjamin Tania, you are under arrest for the murders of Miguel Torres, Marita Hovais, Thomas Larder-"

"I already know their names, Miss Hanson," he said.

"Good" she said, "I didn't want to read through them all. Now put your hands behind your head and back away from the victim".

"I'm sorry Miss Hanson" he said "but I'm afraid I can't do that".

"You will or I'll shoot" she said, finger pressing lightly on the trigger.

He sighed "I was hoping to avoid this" he said "but if you insist-" suddenly, he spun around, arm outstretched. She felt a sudden tug and her gun came flying out of her hand before she could react. It rounded itself and Angela found her gun pointed right at her forehead, suspended in midair.

"What the fuck?" she said in disbelief.

"As you can see, Miss Hanson" he said, a smiling etching on his face "its going to take more then some petty little gun to take me down. Now, be a good girl and back up against the wall or I'll be forced to put a bullet through your head".

Just then, Dawson came bursting through the open doorway "Angela!" he yelled, "what are you thi-"

"Another one?" he said in annoyance. He gave a lazy flick of his hand and Dawson was lifted off her feet and sent headfirst right at the nearest wall, a sickening crack echoing through out the room as bone met brick.

"Dawson!" she yelled "you bastard!"

"Ah ah" he said, "I didn't give you permission to talk. Now, please back up against the wall like I told you so. Or you'll end up just like your friend there, except you'll suffer something more then a cracked skull. Now move!" seeing as she had no other choice, she backed up until her back met the wall, the gun still pointed at her head, still in midair. What is this guy? She thought.

"Now" he said, turning his back to her "where were we?" looking over, she spotted a teen strapped to the chair, his shirt soaked in what appeared to be blood.

"Ah yeah" he said, "Now I remember. I think we shouldn't drag this out any longer then we should, don't you think Miss Hanson?" she gave him a nasty look, this action causing the gun barrel to press right against her forehead.

"Time to finish this" he said, "good bye Clark, I really did enjoy meeting you". And then he raised his hand and the boy named Clark gave an earsplitting scream, while all Angela could do was watch as Tania claimed his next victim.

* * *

The pain began to build, blood starting to drip from Clark's nose and mouth, his already weary body feeling as though it will rip like tissue. His fingers dug into the chair's arms, his body starting to squirm and convulse.

He gave another scream, another sharp wave of pain racing down his body, his eyes watering now with blood.

All the while, he could hear him laughing, as he watched Clark die a painful death. And the worse part about it was he knew that there was nothing he could. Ben had won and now he was going to die.

And in that singular moment, it happened.

It happened so fast that Clark could barely register it but something deep down inside him awoke, a fiery being of great power. It had been they're for days and he knew it, everyday it slowly grew stronger and stronger, trying to break free from its restraints but until then, it had been held down, deep inside him. Until now.

It swept over him like an immense tidal wave, engulfing every part of his body, from his head to his toes to his heart and mind. The pain disappeared, all reason vanished, all thoughts ended as it took him over in a single sweep. Everything about Clark the person vanished, disappearing beneath the raging tide. The entity was now in control.


	30. Red Glare

Ben felt it; something white hot on his fingertips. As if a flame had been lit right beneath them. What is he doing? He thought. He flashed back to that night in Detroit, when he had Clark in his grasps, ready to finish him off and then...

He realized that the kid was going to go berserk on him again.

He concentrated harder, wanting to end it now before anything happened, but something was stopping him. What's going on! He thought why isn't it working!

And slowly, Clark raised his head, face devoid of emotion, eyes held shut. Ben backed up slightly, sensing that something was not right.

A pulse sounded through out the room, the floorboards trembling slightly from the vibration, kicking up age old dust from beneath.

"What is this?" he said "what are you doing! Stop this at once!"

The cords suddenly snapped from around Clark's hands and legs, the chair beneath him bursting into flames.

"I said stop!" he yelled.

Clark slowly raised himself up to his feat, hair swaying, clothes rippling, as if he was submerged in water.

"I said-!"

His eyes then flung open, an inferno of flames appearing from out of nowhere. They rushed at Ben, whose own eyes were wide in fear at the ragging death approaching him. But before they could, he felt a tug beneath his legs and he was pulled into his own shadow.

* * *

As soon as he disappeared, the gun aimed at Angela's head fell to the ground, clattering slightly when it hit. But that still didn't stop the huge rush of flames racing at her. Thinking on her feet, she dived to her right, the feel of the scorching heat burning at her back. 

She landed with a thud, quickly rolling over expecting something else to happen. The flames had begun to set fire to the old building, quickly engulfing the old rotted wood. The boy stood there in the middle of the room, hair and clothes oddly rippling, stoic expression on his face, but it was his eyes that most terrified her. Except, they weren't eyes. No, instead, it was as if two raging suns had filled his sockets. Ablaze in a fiery red, small flames jumping from the corners, broiling in a rapid current, it was a fearsome sight to behold.

A loud crack sounded through out the room as the ceiling began to cave in, embers flying everywhere. Angela had to get out of here and fast.

She crawled over to Dawson, checking his neck to feel a slight pulse. Thank god she thought. She dug her arm underneath him, hauling him up to his feet, steadying herself before taking her first steps to the door.

Just then, a boom went off, Angela turning in surprise. The entire front wall of the room had been blown open, revealing the inky darkness of the New York night. The kid was walking towards the opening, not pausing once, even when he reached the end.

And Angela watched as his feet lifted off and he floated on down to the street below.

Another loud crack sounded of, this time the floor caving in, Angela having to lunge herself through the door. The fire had now reached the floor below, filling the stairway in thick black smoke.

She coughed violently as the sooty smog filled her lungs, burning her throat and watering her eyes. With her free hand, she whipped off the salty tears and slowly began to hobble down the steps.

Pulling up a small section of her shirt, she covered her mouth and nose, taking slow breaths as she kept her steady decent down the steps.

Another loud crack and a section of roofing fell just behind her, chips of hot cement scaring her face. She hissed slightly at the burning sensation, trying to push the pain out of her mind.

She placed her foot onto the next step and immediatly felt the sudden pull of her leg free falling. she buckled, Dawson slipping from her grip, jagged edges of cement digging deep gashes into her leg. She yelled in pain, hand grabbing the small portion of her right leg that was still visible.

Another loud crack echoed from above, signaling the rapid destruction of the building. Grabbing the side rail, she pulled with all her might, gasps of pain escaping her mouth as the cement dug into her fresh scars. Just a few more inches she thought, pulling harder up.

When the pain stopped, she knew she had freed herself. Gingerly slipper her foot out of the hole, she stared down at the long red gashes now etched on her leg, still stinging from the pain. The sound of another loud crack from above snapped her out of her slight trance. Hauling herself up, she winced slightly at the slightest pressure applied to her leg. But she was going to have to tough it out.

Hobbling down the steps, she bent down and scooped up Dawson, screaming loudly as she was forced to use her injured leg for support. She whipped the sweat from her brow, took a few deep breaths and continued on down.

Each step felt like it took forever, the sharp stabbing pain from her leg skyrocketing when she had to steady herself.

Come on she thought, just a few more steps.

As the building began to creak from above, she hastened her pace, trying not to go to fast that she may buckle, the pain now slowly subsiding as the adrenaline took over. After another round in the stairs, she spotted the open door, quickening her pace even more.

Once out from the stairwell, she heard a loud moan as the fire began to break up more of the buildings fragile state, smoke already beginning to drift down from the ceiling. Realizing the grown danger, she tightened her grip around Dawson, making sure he was nice and secure before heading for the final run.

She ran as fast as she could across the room, the ceiling above starting to crumble, chunks of plaster and wood falling in clouds of dust.

Putting on a final burst of speed, she raced out into the cool night, the air a welcomed relief to her burned throat. The entire street was lit in the orange hue of the burning building, oddly eerie against the pitch-dark night.

She quickly made her way to the truck, hauling Dawson into the back with the last of her strength, panting heavily. Her entire body was covered in a thick sheet of soot, eyes streaming, hair frazzled and singed, and the pain from her leg now starting to catch up on her, but other then that she was all right.

After a moment of rest, she hauled herself back up, heading to the drivers seat and pulling out the cell phone located in one of the car cup holders. She punched in the speed dial, not having to wait for a ring before someone answered.

"Agent Hanson reporting," she said "Tania's escaped. We have an agent down in critical condition, calling for immediate back up".

She looked up and for the first time, saw the street before her, mouth dropping open in shock.

Everything from the streets to the buildings to cars to stop signs, everything looked as though it had been cooked in an oven. The street was a distorted mess of concrete and pavement, like that of a frozen river. The buildings bases seemed to have been melted away by a blowtorch, whole sections eaten away to reveal the metal wiring beneath, still dripping molten metal. Small fires doted the streets, most of them cars, lamplights, and other such stuff that had escaped the initial burn. Sections of building floors seemed to have been set aflame, the sounds of people's screams soon becoming evident from the broken and twisted windows.

In the distance, the sounds of police cars and fire trucks began to drift through out the city and as Angela looked out farther, she to could see the destruction as it happened right before her eyes, a steady flow that slowly engulfed each city block in a tidal wave of fire.

"What is going on?" she whispered.

* * *

It was a tight squeeze inside the truck, mostly because Tyler seemed to refuse reverting back to his human form, so this forced Dalton, Asheera, and Yuri to cram up in the front, while giving enough room for the driver to maneuver through the city. This left Catalina having to share the back with the enormous beast, a not so settled look fixed on her face.

It came as a big shock to the driver when they all appeared from out of the alley. Not just because Yuri was miraculously healed but the fact that a seven foot tall beast was now following them out as well. After a bit of explaining, the driver understood, though still a bit on edge with this huge brown thing following so closely behind.

After a bit of effort, they were able to just barely fit everyone inside, though comfortable wasn't exactly the right word to say.

After awhile, Catalina had formed a small shield around the top of her head, this causing Tyler to turn his head and huff slightly.

"Sorry but you shed" she said.

"Where do we even start looking?" Dalton asked.

"Not sure" he said "but I'm pretty sure it'll be obvious when we see it".

"You mean something like that?" Asheera said.

They all looked over to where she was pointing. In the distance, it looked as though bombs were being sent off. Flames erupted from buildings in mushroom clouds, chunks of cement flying in all directions, flares shooting off into the night sky.

"What in the world?" Dalton said.

"Someone turn on the radio," Asheera said, the driver gladly reaching over for the knob. After a moment, they got a frequency.

"This is Tonya Redding with breaking news" the woman on the radio said "twenty minutes ago, the city was thrown into chaos when a series of what appears to be explosives began to suddenly go off. Even from uphere in the chopper, you can hear the police sirens and fire trucks just rushing down Seventh Avenue, huge drops of cement just falling to the street, fires starting to spread from one building to the next, people just running in fear, it is pure pandemonium. Now, from what we have learned is that the explosions appeared to have started somewhere near 59th street at around seven thirty-"

"That does not sound good" Yuri said.

"You really think this could be Ben?" Catalina said.

"I don't know," he said "just dosen't really seem like his style".

"I don't think is Ben either" Asheera replied "something is definitely off here".

"We have to get over there somehow" Dalton said, "where is it going?"

"It looks like it's heading towards Time Square," the driver said.

"Can you get us there?" Asheera asked.

"I can" he said "but it's going to take a few minutes".

"Well get us there as fast as possible" she said.

After reaching the nearest turn off, they did a complete 180 and turned on the street that would take them to Times Square.

"Asheera" Dalton said.

"What?" she asked.

"You remember that vision I told you about?" he said "well, I think that time is now".

* * *

It was another usual night in Times Square. The steady flow of traffic, the huge crowds of people, the large monitors that cast iridescent light down to the street, all going like clockwork in this busy interesction.

It took only a few minutes for that peace to come to a jarring halt when the first explosions went off.

Everyone in the square froze at the sight of the mushroom cloud of flames that ballooned just over the building tops, a booming sound following shortly after. After a brief silence, people began to get out of their vehicles, murmurs echoing from person to person, all with the exact same question in mind. What was that?

And then it happened again, another flash of fire and the booming sound following behind, slight screams and gasps escaping the crowd.

As the steady path of destruction continued, engulfing another building in flames, the horrifying truth began to emerge. And that was the destruction was heading right for them.

It rounded the corner and immediately, the panic swept in. the crowd surged as people began to run, screaming in fear as the rising storm began to head towards them. The sound of glass shattering, the hiss of flame, the crack of crumbling cement, and the flash of sparks that erupted from telephone lines and traffic lights. For many, it was like 9/11 all over again.

In the midst of this chaos, Clark continued his steady pace, eyes ablaze, completely lost to the world around him, his whole mind reduced to the simplest animalistic form. The simple need to survive.

The street beneath him began to melt from the intense heat, swirling like a pool of water. The buildings on his sides began to crack, flames bursting from the windows in a rhythmic pattern from top to bottom, glass shattering, the intense heat turning the shards into a silvery stream that splashed to the ground, mixing with the pool of melted cement.

The large prompters above the square burst in a shower of sparks, abandoned cars erupted in a storm of flame, large cracks began to zig zag up the desolate streets, and more fires burst from the nearby buildings as Times Square slowly began to crumble.

Clark stopped, head turning slightly. He sensed movement.

Dozens of police cars and fire trucks appeared from Seventh Avenue, all racing towards the destruction.

Clark turned slightly, eyes locked on the oncoming horde. Before him, a billowing cloud of flames began to build, slowly growing to the size of a small car. He fired, sending a massive stream of flames down the street, burning everything in its path, the cars engulfed in the racing storm as it continued on down the street.

When it stopped, nearly all of north Seventh Avenue had been reduced to a blackened strip of land. The buildings on its side had huge gashes and scorch marks etched into the concrete, the street was smoked black, smog issuing up from the cement, the skeletal remains of numerous cars dotting the street.

A loud sound issued from above. He slowly lifted his head in time to see the helicopter that was hovering above. His eyes narrowed slightly and the chopper burst into flames, falling from the sky moments later in a raging ball of flames, crashing through the roof of a building it was just floating over.

Something else caught his attention, something from behind.

He turned around, his eyes locked upon two Japanese men who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere, one of them holding a sward in his left hand. Both stood there on the desolate street, frozen in fear, before one of them spoke.

"Um" said the sward wielding one "sorry, my bad" and then they disappeared into thin air. But before he could retaliate, he detected something else.

Something approaching.

* * *

From Broadway, a single van was hurrying down the street. Speeding past the abandoned cars, they were able to see a lone figure standing in the midst of the inferno.

"Who is that?" the driver said.

"I have a feeling" Dalton said.

As they continued, Asheera was able to see the small ball of fire beginning to appear before the figure.

"What is that?" she asked, only to have her answer delivered when a sudden storm of fire shot at them.

"Catalina!" she yelled.

Thinking fast, she quickly pulled up a shield around the car, the flames barreling into them a moment later. Instantly, everyone felt like the temperature had risen to over a hundred degrees, the van illuminated in an orange glow.

"Its…its to strong!" Catalina said "I don't think I can hold it much longer".

"Just hang in there!" Yuri yelled encouragement.

Just then, the storm stopped, the shield falling away instantly and everything looking in shock at the now burned out road they drove on. That was when Yuri was able to see clearly the figure of Clark standing in the square.

He tilted his head to the side, surprised that they had survived that. He watched as the van stopped and the people get out of it. They were familiar somehow, people he had known before, their names a vacant thought.

"Clark!" Catalina yelled "its us! Yuri and Catalina! What are you doing?" she took a step forward, only to have Dalton pull her back.

"Stop!" he said, "You don't know what he'll do!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Look at him Catalina" he said "don't you see his eyes? That is not the Clark you know. This is exactly what I saw!"

"Saw what?" Yuri asked, "What do you mean".

"It's the reason why we're here for him" Asheera said "Dalton saw a vision that Clark would lose control of his powers, just like what happened in Detroit".

"Except" Dalton said, "it wouldn't be just a few city blocks, it would be this entire city, this entire state, nearly a chunk of the U.S. completely obliterated".

It was so pointless, watching them squabble like this. Clark knew that these people meant something to him but right now, they were simply in his way and must be dealt with.

A bright light swept over the deserted square, everyone looking up to see three helicopters hovering above them, each one equipped with a spotlight that illuminated the group and Clark.

Yuri looked over to see police cars appearing from all directions, from behind, forward, to the side, until they found themselves surrounded. The side doors then flew open, dozens of police men appearing, guns held ready.

"This is the police" they heard someone say from an amplifier "we have you surrounded, put your hands where we can see them and lay face down on the street".

"Wait!" Asheera yelled, "Please, you must leave!"

"If you do not comply," the man continued, "we will open fire".

Unfazed by this new intrusion, Clark turned around, until he was facing the largest crowd of policemen. Slowly, he began to walk.

"Freeze!" the man said, Clark not responding.

"I said freeze!" the man yelled again, still getting no reaction.

"I said freeze or we will shoot!" he said, "this is your last warning!"

"Guys!" Catalina yelled, "We have to stop them!"

"No!" Yuri said, grabbing her by the shoulder "we do anything and they'll kill us".

From the crowd, a gunshot sounded, all four of them frozen in their spots. Tyler finally getting out of the van, sensing that something was not right.

Clark had stopped. He looked down at his chest, a small hole now imprinted on his bloody shirt, right at the shoulder. He didn't feel it, no pain at all.

"Clark!" Catalina yelled.

Tyler lurched forward a bit, ears pricked. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

Clark raised his face, eyes locked dead on the policeman who shot him. Instantly, an overwhelming rage swept all over his body, face darkening, and an odd red tint settling over the square.

Knuckles clenched, Tyler prepared himself for what was to come.

From out of thin air, a barrage of flames rained down on the police cars, crashing into cars and engulfing men in a coat of fire. That's when the gunfire started, everyone startled by the sudden attack.

He raised his head to the sky, three balls of fire racing towards the helicopters, coliding with them like mini comets. Knocked from the sky, they came falling to earth, crashing into buildings, sending chunks of debris flying everywhere.

His head turned to the side, eyes locked on the second wave, all of the cars exploding in an instance, including the van that had just drove the group here…with the driver still in it.

"That's it" Yuri said, stepping forward.

"What are you doing?" Catalina asked.

"I'm stopping this," he said, continuing forward without another word. He didn't want to hurt Clark but unless he did something, innocent people would die.

"Sorry about this" he said. He shot out his arm, sending a large chunk of ice flying, hitting Clark squarely in the head.

The hit barely fazed him. He turned around till he was facing Yuri. Eyes widening, he sent out a storm of flames at him. Thinking fast, Yuri fired the strongest beam of ice he could muster, both fire and ice colliding with on another.

Clark's clothes began to billow, hair flapping wildly as if a strong wind were blowing.

Yuri's face strained in concentration, he felt his strength slipping. He was just too strong for him. He had to do something fast or risk getting burnt to a crisp. He pulled up the last of his strength and with a final push; he was able to fire a great blast that was able to dissipate the flames.

Clark stood their, face solemn. He was a bit surprised by this little turn of events.

Then he felt another bullet rend through him, instantly he turned to face the other police horde, another stream of flames racing down the square that engulfed the entire horde. His rage now at a breaking point, he opened his mouth to emit a silent scream.

A tall pillar of fire suddenly soared from above him, a raging tornado of flames that reached higher into the sky, illuminating the entire night sky. Everyone stared in awe at the spectacle with mouths hung open in disbelief.

"Incredible" Asheera said.

Suddenly, the pillar took a dive, racing toward the ground at an alarming rate.

Tyler acted fast. He leaped over the others and dashed towards the Yuri, scooping him up in his huge arms and hanging him over his shoulder like a rag doll. With him in hand, he quickly turned on his heels and dashed back over to the others just as the pillar neared the ground.

It quickly veered up before it could hit, splitting itself into two and each racing off in one direction.

The police had by now abandoned their duties and were trying feeble to escape in their cars but the flames soon caught up with them, washing over the men in a single felled swoop.

The other was heading right towards the others.

"Catalina!" everyone yelled.

Hands raised, she quickly produced a shield, the raging torrent crashing into it moments later.

The sky above them seemed to have been replaced by a blazing red dawn, as the flames rolled over the shield like a rushing river, the roar of the fire echoing over the enclosed bubble, tempature rising.

She felt herself skid back slightly, as if something had tackled her, but she kept her ground. As she tried desperate to fend of the flames, her arms and hands began to shake violently and her vision beginning to waver.

"Guys!" she yelled, "I can't…hold him…off!"

"Come on Catalina!" Asheera yelled, "just hang in there!"

Cracks started to appear on the shield, small ones at first, but soon they began to spread across, criss-crossing into one another. Her shield was going to break!

She thrust her hands out again, sliding back on her feet even more so, trying to force the flames back while the cracks on the shield began to fan out, small chunks beginning to fall.

"I can't!" she replied, "He's going…to…break through!"

And that's when she heard the sound, as if a giant mirror had suddenly been shattered. She looked up and stared in horror as she watched her shield break away into a million fragments, twinkling slightly from the fire's blaze like a swath of stars across the sky, slowly fading as they reached the ground.

Everyone stood there, motionless. The flames just beyond rolling like a stormy ocean, waiting. Time seemed to stand still, all five of them realizing that, very soon now, they were all going to die.

Then the flames came rushing towards them. Catalina held up her arms in defense, Asheera hugged Dalton for support; Tyler and Yuri standing their ground, waiting for the end to come.

The heat began to build, they could all feel the white hot flames on their skin.

"sorry madre" Catalina said to herself "I don't think I can keep my promise".

Meanwhile, Yuri thought of Ana, still waiting for him back in Moscow, she may probally never find out what happened to him.

Even as death came, Tyler still had time to imagine the beach once more, still catching one last wave, Heath and Lance getting into another fight. Then there was Alex...

Asheera swear she saw her life flash before her eyes while all Dalton could think of was nights at the pub with Chris.

The lights became brighter, the feel of the flames getting closer, everyone bracing for it to come...

Suddenly, the stormed simply died away, the flames simply dying away.

* * *

Rika had never really driven a car before. Sure, she had taken lessons before, but really, what was the point of learning to drive in a city where traffic was nearly impossible?

But nonetheless, she had proven a fairly competent driver and could handle almost any situation.

She saw the explosions happen just as she neared the bridge that would take her to the mainland. Slowing the car down, she watched in awe as they unfolded before her eyes. Could this have been the thing that Dalton was talking about? She thought.

Either way, something very wrong was going on and she had to get their some other way. Some other faster way

So she pulled the car to the side of the road, unstrapped herself from the drivers seat, and got in back. Lying down, she went into ghost form and flew out of the truck, climbing higher into the sky till she had a clear aerial view.

Spotting the next explosion, she flew as fast as she could towards the place, racing over the tops of the skyscrapers, willing herself to go faster.

She stopped for a moment, realizing the explosions had ceased.

What in the world? She thought. She climbed a bit higher up, scanning the city for the destruction path.

Spotting the burning swath of street, she raced over, looking around at the destruction that had taken place. Who could have done this? She thought, was it Ben?

Just then, a great orange light illuminate the sky. Whipping around, she saw a great pillar of fire was racing towards the sky, like that of a dragon taking flight.

What the hell? she mouthed

She zoomed over the street, eyes pin pointed on the pillars location, phasing in and out of buildings in a frantic race. She phased out of another building and dove up to the top where she found herself staring down at the sight of the whole thing. From here, the pillar was just massive.

She floated down to the street so she could have a closer look at the singular figure in the middle of the ruined square. When her eyes locked onto him, her mind instantly flashed back to the image Nola had shown them on the computer.

It wasn't Ben, it was that Clark kid! So Dalton was right!

Speaking of which, where exactly were they?

She looked around and sure enough spotted the others standing just a few yards away from Clark, along with two people she did not know about and...what the hell was that? Was that Tyler?

Just then, the pillar came crashing down, splitting in two just before it hit the ground. One end zoomed of to the north, instantly taking out the policemen and the other went right for them.

She watched as the mystery woman brought up a large opaque shield, the flames crashing into it like an ocean wave against rock.

Terrified, she quickly flew towards them, passing through the raging inferno and into the small protective bubble.

She looked at the woman, her face strained, arms shaking. It seemed she was having a very hard time trying to keep the flames at bay. She turned towards the shield, cracks already forming along the surface.

It's going to break through! She thought.

And sure enough, they did. The shield shattered into a million pieces, fading as they sailed to the ground, the path now cleared for the flames.

NO!!!

She flung out her arms and flew as fast as she could, sailing through the fire, making a bee's line straight for Clark. Bracing herself, she dove in full force.


	31. Ghost in the Machine

It was just like with Ben. As soon as Rika had entered Clark, she was swept up in a raging sea of anger, the sheer force threatening to tear her apart. Her heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute, pain pulsing up and down her body, a tight force slamming down on her, as if she was caught in the midst of a cyclone. She briefly phased out, her whole face distorted, body stretched out, arms and legs bent at awkward angles, only a small portion of her still inside him, desperately holding on.

She quickly gained back her control and phased back in, everything coming back to her in a jarring crash. The pain, the rage, everything once again sweeping over her.

As she desperately tried to take control, she felt her grasp slipping again. Distorted, ghostly images of her slipped out at various points, a voice resounding around the square that altered from hers to Clark's to a voice that belong to neither.

She gained control of the hands, bringing them to her head, the force threatening to break her. She staggered around, images flashing in and out, sounds rocketing off here and there, her control slipping away.

She dug deeper, trying to break through, but something was blocking her, something that did not want her to go any further. Then she felt it, a blow that came out of nowhere, hitting her right in the chest. It pushed her back, briefly pulling her out from the body, her ghost arms and legs still inside, her body stretched out like rubber.

She quickly pulled herself back in, once again the rage sweeping over her, threatening to tear her in half. She felt it again, something trying to push her out, ramming at her chest. Was it Clark? Or something else?

It hit her again but his time she was prepared. Her distorted face briefly phased out but she quickly pulled it back, driving back the force that was pushing her out.

Once she pushed back, it becoming even angrier, slamming into Rika so hard she nearly phased out again. She stopped herself, driving it back again, trying to break through it. What is this thing? She thought.

It rammed into her again but this time she held her ground. Not backing down, she trudged forward, sending the thing back once again. While it was down, she pushed again, this time stronger, driving it back even further.

Eyesight was coming, sounds echoing off in the distance, a slight tingling sensation in her body, she was nearly there!

Suddenly, the thing came back, throttling her with a powerful blow. It was so strong; it completely knocked her back, body phasing out again, once more distorted and stretched. It came again, pushing her even farther out, only an arm now keeping her anchored to the body.

Its to strong she thought, I'll never break through at this point. But she couldn't give up. She pulled herself back in, once more the pain and anger rushing over her.

This thing is not him she thought; he has to be in here somewhere. If I could just find him...

She searched, trying to pick up on something, the thing close by like a stalking predator, waiting to strike again on this unwanted intruder.

She detected something. She cautiously dug deeper, searching…yes, yes its there. It was small but there, some small presence that she knew must be Clark.

The thing sensed this and came at her. Not letting it get the upper hand, she to went after it, both of them barreling into each other.

It pushed her back slightly but she wasn't going to give up. Mustering up the last of her strength, she drove it back, sending it as far away from her as she could. With it gone, she dove down, heading for that small piece of light she knew must have been Clark.

Come on, she thought, almost there!

The thing was gaining on her, its rage radiating on her back, by now aware of her intentions.

She could see it now, the faint outline growing bolder as she neared, an image of Clark slowly coming into view. Without slowing, she grabbed hold of him and began to pull out.

She felt the thing grab at her ankle, determined to not let her or him go. It tugged down, dragging her back to it.

She fought it off, climbing up higher, the end coming closer.

Slowly, her ghostly head emerged from the back, the face warped as she exited, slowly reshaping into her own. The thing was still locked onto her, still determined to not let her go.

She fought it, slowly easing herself out from behind, Clark's ghostly head soon appearing behind her.

With the realization, the thing tried even harder, yanking Rika back down, Clark's head disappearing back into his body.

No! She thought.

She pulled again, Clark's head reemerging, Rika pulling with all her might.

Come on, almost there.

It tugged again, Clark's head bobbing under, Rika losing ground while his real body began to bend backwards, as if it to was being pulled by the inner struggle.

It tugged once more, pulling Rika back down, slowly losing her ground, getting sucked back into the dark abyss. She felt it pull again, it was going to win…

NOOOOO!!!!!!!

She pulled with all her might, breaking free from its grasp, pulling both herself and ghost Clark out from his body.

Flung back from the sudden break, she quickly re-angled herself, breathing heavily, exhausted from the encounter. What in the world was that? she thought.

Looking around for Clark, she spotted him just a few feet from her. Floating over, she realized he was beginning to wake.

* * *

What had just happened? 

They were all supposed to be dead. They all saw it, they all felt it, and yet…somehow they were alive.

When Asheera never felt the pain come, she cracked open one eye. No flames. She opened wider, thinking maybe her eyes were deceiving her.

Dalton to opened his eyes "are we…dead?" he said.

"I don't think so," she said, stepping forward "Catalina, Yuri, Tyler".

At the sound of her name, Catalina dared a look, rewarded to the sight of a flame free death.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Wait, look" Yuri said, pointing towards the square.

Everyone turned in his direction. Clark was in the middle of the street, hands to his head, yelling in pain, swaying back and forth as if in pain.

"Clark!" Catalina yelled "are you okay?" he gave a loud scream, flames erupting from beneath the street, racing in a zig zag pattern down the blackened cement.

"Catalina, get back!" Yuri said, grabbing her by the waist, pulling her out before the flames had a chance to fry her.

"Asheera" Dalton said, "You're the expert, any comments?"

"I don't know" she said, "maybe his powers just became to much for him to handle".

"You mean he's dying!?" Catalina yelped.

Another loud yell rang throughout, streaks of flames shooting off in all direction, crashing into buildings, exploding on impact.

"I don't know" she replied, raising her arm as soot rained down "its merely a theory".

"Well we can't just stand here!" she said.

"Catalina" Yuri said, "If we go anywhere near him, he may kill us".

"So we're just going to let him die?!" she said.

Clark screamed once again, this time even louder then before, body bent back as if someone was pulling him down.

"Guys?" Catalina asked.

Another loud scream and a arc of fire came barreling at them at breakneck speed, Catalina barely having any time to produce a shield, slamming into it with awesome force, the other half of it slicing through the top of a building, the top portion sliding down the side and crashing to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust that spread through out the square.

When it all cleared, everyone was covered in a fine layer of soot. Tyler gave himself a shake, getting rid of the excess.

Asheera gave a cough, whipping her face with the back of her hand, Dalton doing the same.

"What just happened?" Dalton asked.

"Again" she said, "I just don't know".

Yuri cautiously stepped forward, squinting his eyes slightly to get a better look. Clark was just lying there in the middle of the street, not moving.

He moved towards him, kneeling down, bringing a hand to Clark's neck. Please don't be dead, he thought.

"Is he…" Catalina asked, not bearing to have to ask "dead?"

After a moment, he felt a pulse. A weak one but at least it was something.

"No" he replied, "just knocked out". He knelt down, wrapping Clark in his arms, and hauling him off the ground, feeling as though he was lifting a limp doll.

With him in hand, Yuri turned around and headed back for the others, Catalina behind him.

"Well?" Asheera asked.

"He's okay" Yuri replied.

"What do you think happened?" Dalton asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"Either way" Catalina said, "thank god its over".

"Yes" said Asheera.

"Well" Yuri said, stepping forward slightly "you guy's said you were here for him, to make him better?"

"That was the objective," Dalton said.

"Then I guess you better get on that," he said.

* * *

He brought a hand to his face, forehead wrinkling slightly, head feeling like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. 

What just happened? He thought.

I was at that warehouse…Ben was there…and he was killing me…

As if a light bulb went off, everything came back to him. Coming to New York, ready to stop Lancaster, his assassination, the events in the alley, and then coming close to death. Death…

He cracked open an eye, everything black. Did I really just die? He thought, what are those dots?

But then he realized, those weren't dots, they were stars. He could see stars…he was outside.

How did I get out here? He thought, what is…

His hand passed his face and he stopped in the middle of his thought. he could see through his hand.

He brought it closer, thinking maybe he was hallucinating, but he wasn't, he could actually see through his hand.

He raised himself, looking down at his body and gasped in horror when he saw his ghostly image. And then he truly began freak when he saw that he was floating above the ground.

"W-w-what?" he said, bringing his hands down, panic rising as he looked at his transparent arms.

"What is going on?" he said, "Where am I? Hello!" he was now officially freaking out.

"This can't be" he said "this just can't!". He kept on looking at himself, eyes growing wider, his heart feeling like it was in his throat.

"Oh my god" he said, grabbing his head with his hands "I really am dead!"

He felt someone tap him on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around in surprise, coming face to face with the person.

It was a Japanese girl, who seemed no older then he was. And she too was just like him. Transparent and ghostly.

Clark began to wonder, was she here to…like, lead him to the afterlife? Cause he figured that was kinda weird, considering he had never met her before in his life. He had always figured when he die, he would see people he actually knew, maybe like his grandpa or something but, some random girl?

Well, he thought, guess there's no use fighting it.

"So" Clark said "are you here to…you know, take me to heaven?"

A curious look crossed her face, as if she didn't understand what he just said.

"Uh, you know" he said "like, take me to some after life? Or something, you know?" she still looked at him as if she had no idea what he was saying.

"Um…" Clark really had no idea what to do. He was talking to a ghost who seemed to have no idea what he was saying, not giving him any sign on what to do, just feeling more lost then ever.

"Are you even going to help me or not?" he asked her.

Finally, she seemed to have gotten it. She floated over to him, grabbed his shoulder, and pointed to the ground. Wait, was she going to send me to hell? He thought, panic now going up again.

Looking down, his mouth dropped once again when he saw his lifeless body lying in the street and it even dropped lower when he saw Yuri standing over him.

She grabbed his wrist, pulling him behind her, the two of them heading to the ground as Yuri began to kneel down by Clark's body. he looked at her, she pointing at Yuri, as if telling him to watch.

"Is he…dead?" he turned in surprised when he heard Catalina's voice. She was standing just a few feet from him, completely oblivious that he was floating right in front of her.

"No, just knocked out". As if his mouth couldn't go any lower, Clark's jaw simply gave out on him. Not dead? He thought, but then…how…?

He turned to the girl "is this what you were trying to tell me?" he asked.

She seemed to understand, nodding in response, a smile on her face.

Clark gave a sigh of relief, never feeling more relived in his life. It was great to find out he was not dead, after all, who wouldn't want to find out they weren't dead?

"But, wait" he said, "If I'm not dead, then why am I…well, you know?" once again, she did not seem to understand what he said.

He shook his head in frustration. I just want to know what the hell is happening to me he thought.

Sensing his unease, she took hold of his hand again, guiding him over back to the group. Who were these people? He thought, and what the hell is that? Then he finally got around to looking at the state of the place, all burned and ruined, sparks going off from the fallen moniters, the street's still smoking slighlty.

That's when Clark began to remember something else that happened at that warehouse. When Ben was using his powers on him, trying to break through, he just felt this rush go through him, an overwhelming surge of power that completly engulfed him. And the last time he felt this, was just over a week ago, in Detroit...

Did I really lose control again? he thought.

"Well" Yuri said, stepping forward slightly "you guy's said you were here for him, to make him better?"

"That was the objective," said the mystery man

"Then I guess you better get on that," Yuri replied.

He felt the girl tap him on the shoulder again, drawing him away from the conversation.

"Huh?" he asked "what is it?" she was pointing at something. he looked to the location, a curious look crossing his face at what he saw.

"What is that?"

* * *

Something changed. Tyler pricked his ears, sniffing the air, trying to find it. He wasn't sure but he knew something had just happened. 

Tyler began to grunt, Asheera turning in surprise "Tyler?" she asked "something wrong?"

He began to get frantic, now sensing that something was wrong, something coming closer to them.

"What's with him?" Yuri asked.

"I don't know" Asheera replied, "He was fine just a few moments ago".

"Wait, guys" Dalton said "look".

Everyone looked to Dalton, his arm extended, pointing at something in the distance.

It was as if a shadow was descending over the square, like the sun was being eclipsed. From all around them, these huge black walls just slowly advancing, engulfing everything in its shadowy grip, like a silent killer.

"What the hell is going on?" Asheera asked.

Both Catalina and Yuri knew. Cause not to long ago, the same exact thing happened to them in a certain alley.

"He's here" Yuri said, slinging Clark over his shoulder, while his hand went icy.

"Who?" Asheera asked, "Who's here?" they were now surrounded on all sides, with nothing but a small pocket of light that shielded them from the darkness beyond.

A sinister laugh echoed from beyond the veil.

"Ben" Catalina said.

"How right you are" came a response from within. Slowly, a figure began to emerge, red eyes glowing in the dark as if like a demon from hell coming forward. Ben emerged, stopping in front of them, a smile on his face.

"Well, I must say" Ben said, clapping his hands together "you guys sure as hell made my job so much more simpler". Tyler gave a menacing growl, sensing the evil that radiated from his body.

Ben flashed a disgusted look "what exactly is that thing?" he asked "some sort of pet?" Tyler gave a roar in response.

A cackle echoed from all around them, a second figure emerging from the shadows "careful there my sweet" said Dahlia "it seems that the flea bag hasn't been beaten into submission yet".

"So it is you," Dalton said.

Ben turned his head "ah, yes, I remember you" he said "Tokyo right? And you" his gaze diverted to Asheera "you're the bitch who made that statue stick a sword through me".

"I was trying to aim for the heart" she responded "but it turns out you have none Benjamin".

"You dare speak his name" Dahlia muttered in barely a whisper, her eyes going wild, face growing livid "YOU DARE SPEAK HIS NAME!" her hand shooting out, she sent out a softball sized energy blast that went streaking for Asheera.

As soon as Dahlia screamed, Catalina instantly raised a shield around Asheera; just moments before the blast came colliding with the shield.

Tyler gave another roar, rearing up onto his hind legs, ready to pounce on the woman, Yuri's hand beginning to swirl with snow.

"Ah ah ah" Ben said, raising his hands "now, lets all just calm down". Dahlia flashed them an ugly look, hand still glowing blue, both Tyler and Yuri not letting up, neither trusting this psycho bitch.

"Okay" Ben said, "Lets just cut right to it, shall we?" he paused for a moment, eyes locked on Yuri.

"Simply give me the boy," he said "and maybe I will let some of you live".

"Sorry" Yuri said "not good enough". Anger crossed Ben's face, eyes flaring up.

"Maybe your eyes are worse then they look" he continued "but in case you haven't look, we outnumber you".

That's when Ben's scowl suddenly curled into one of his sinister smiles "oh really?" he asked, "Maybe its you who should take a better look at your surroundings".

He turned his head to the side and as if on cue, numerous figures began to appear from the shadows, slowly stepping out of the darkness, surrounding them. from what Dalton could see, they all just looked like regular people, people from all walks of like. Blacks, whites, Asians, just numerous types from all over, and yet something was very off about them. Their faces were just blank, eyes vacant, as if the life had just been sucked from them, almost like zombies.

"Now, you were saying?" Ben asked, Yuri giving him a disgusted look. Tyler growled at the zombie people, hairs raising like a cat, Dalton, Catalina, and Asheera stepping back slightly from this sudden appearance.

"So, about the boy?" Ben asked "or do you think you can take us all on?"

* * *

As soon as Rika saw Ben appear from the shadows, she felt her heart tighten. The last time she saw this guy was back at her school, where he was trying to kill her. 

Looking over at Clark, she to saw that same terrified look cross his face. She remembered Nola saying that Ben had been after him once before, being stopped only when Clark went all fire crazy.

She knew she had to do something, before Ben could hurt anyone else. But it wasn't like she could enter him. Last time she did that, she got her ass thrown out and sent right back into her body. So she had to do something else.

When she saw the woman walk out, she thought maybe that she could do her. But did she have any powers? She thought.

And she had her question answered when she shot out the blue blast at Asheera, only to be saved by the shield that suddenly appeared in front of her. Now was her time to react.

She turned to Clark, holding her hands out in a stopping motion, trying to tell him to stay put. At first, he didn't quite get the message but after a few more attempts, he seemed to understand, nodding in response. She too nodded back, turning back around, taking a deep breath, and flying into the woman's body.

Awakening in the body, she got herself orientated, her hand still glowing blue. Concentrating, she had her hand glow an even deeper blue, a rush of power just racing over her.

Her eyes then turned to Ben, that sinister look on his face, Rika wanting nothing more then to blow that smile right off his face.

With his back turned to her, she slowly raised her hand till it was aimed right at his face.

"so, about the boy?" Ben asked, "or do you think you can take us all on?"

Try this, she thought.

And she fired.


	32. Fall From Grace

Ben could sense the power that radiated from Clark's body, the potency rushing over him in a sickening wave, an almost euphoric effect on his mind.

So much power he thought, with that in my hands, no one could stop me. I would cease to be a mere human but instead be revered as a god. The power to destroy anything in my path, the power to take a life or spare it, the power to become unrivaled by any in the world.

And to think, he thought the only thing he could ever be was the head of some petty little company. But after tonight, he would become something much, much greater.

However, like the old saying goes, power can blind even the most sensible of people. And it was that blindness that caused Ben to overlook the fact that the woman at his side…was no longer that woman.

No! What are you doing!

The voice rang out inside his head, the loudness of it causing his eardrum to ring out. Ben didn't even had time to respond when Rika let loose the blast.

The blue explosion burst from her palm, colliding directly into Ben's head, the blast lifting him right off the ground. He went flying at breakneck speed through the air, slamming into the building right across the street, the sound of bones breaking echoing up and down the street. He then slumped to the ground in a broken heap.

No!

Rika heard an angered voice echo inside her head.

You! Get out now!

She felt a violent tug from behind, the pull so sudden it almost knocked the wind out of her. And before she could do anything, she simply lost her hold and was yanked right out of Dahlia's body.

She spun madly in the air, arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance, her head becoming dizzy from the rapid blur of images.

She felt herself slow down, gaining back control of her ghost self, causing her to flip once more and halting in mid air.

She grabbed her head, everything just spinning around her. Rubbing her eyes, she felt the nausea slip away, her orientation coming back to her.

Clark floated over to him, a concerned look on his face, asking her something that she took as 'are you all right?'

Nodding in response, she looked over to where the others were, the battle already in affect.

Realizing they needed help, she zoomed off, leaving Clark once again in confusion.

* * *

As soon as Dahlia had fired on Ben, Yuri didn't even hesitate or even try to think on this sudden change of heart from the woman. All he knew was that he was given the perfect distraction and just like in a game of hockey, once you see even a hint of weakness, you go right for it.

He spun, arm hung out, sending a stream of ice flying through the air that collided with a few of the zombie folk, knocking them off their feet. He swung his arm up over his head, the stream curving around and racing towards the sky. And just as the attack reached its zenith, he clenched his fist and thrust his arm down, the ice above splitting into numerous beams that encircled the entire group, raining down on the attackers.

The ice cracked as they hit the people, exploding in a shower of shattered chunks, knocking most of them right to the ground. The darkness around them began to fade, the stars above them soon coming back into view.

They had their opening.

"Everyone run for it!" yelled Yuri.

Catalina, Dalton, and Asheera all snapped out of their bewildered daze, everything coming back to them in a flash, each one starting to move.

Yuri turned on his hells, grip tightening on Clark's still unconscious self, adrenaline beginning to pump, snow beginning to swirl around his icy hand.

Tyler gave a roar and turned at Yuri's call, barreling through the remaining people that still remained on their feet, knocking them all down with a few swings of his long arm, the others running threw the cleared passage.

Something sliced Yuri's cheek, as if from a razor blade, hissing through his teeth at the stinging pain, something white flashing by him. He felt something else slice at his leg, another white blur passing by as he look down. Cocking his head behind, he saw it was one of the zombie folk, a woman who was rapidly swinging her arms and sending what looked like white blades streaking through the air and right in his direction.

"Keep going!" he yelled to the others "I'll try to hold them off! Just get out of here!"

Catalina turned her head back, worry in her eyes

He fired a chunk of ice behind him, the blades easily slicing through them like they were butter. He swerved sharply to avoid the next blade but another one cut into his side, this one going deeper. Grapping his wound, he thought fast and turned on his feet, three more blades coming at him. Raising his leg, he slammed down on the ground, large icicles suddenly rising up from the cement, lifting her off the ground and flying through the air.

Just then, something came smashing through the icicles, a large figure barreling towards Yuri. He quickly leaped to the side as the thing came streaking past him; Clark still tightly gripped in his arms.

A looming shadow fell over Yuri, his head turning just in time to see another giant figure heading towards him.

Tyler leaped over his head, arm held back, his fist colliding with the thing in a resounding boom. It crumbled into a thousand pieces, Tyler disappearing into the billowing dust. After a moment, something came flying from out of the cloud; Yuri sidestepping as a man came streaking past him.

Tyler came running out a few seconds later, dust covering his fur.

"Quick" Yuri said "take Clark, go back to the others, I can handle things here". The beast looked at him with curious eyes.

"Please, just do it" he responded, "I'll be fine. I promise".

More figures slowly began to appear out of the dissipating crowd, movements oddly calm.

Seeing this, the beast nodded, lifting Clark off of Yuri's shoulder and wrapping him into a protective embrace. He then gave a nod and took of at lighting speed down the road.

When he disappeared from sight, Yuri turned back to the cloud, the first figure appearing into view, arm turning to stone.

He swung his fist, a rocket like blast of ice erupting from out of thin air, the other's arm expanding as he swung his boulder-like appendage. The blast collided with the rock hand, Yuri thinking fast and swinging up, an icicle shooting down from the air, knocking the man down to his feet.

Something swooped over him, Yuri stumbling back. He turned to the sky just as a winged man came barreling towards him. He swung his fist, sending off another rocket of ice, the man side rolling at the last second. He swung again, the blast once more missing its target.

Razor like craws erupted from the winged man's hands, taking a swing at Yuri as he dove in. jumping to the side, he fired at him, hitting him squarely in the chest, only to have something else barrel into him.

Thick black ropes began to snake around his body, tightening as they went, Yuri finding it hard to breath. Concentrating on the cords, he slowly began to chill them over, already starting to slow there winding embrace until they became completely crystallized.

He pulled out his arms with all his might, the binds shattering around him. As he got up, he could see more and more of those dead eyed people starting to get up. There to many he thought.

A streak of red came racing past him, the heat searing at his cheek. Realizing what might happen; he began to move, just as another red blast came barreling at him. Throwing his arm out behind him, he sent forth a blast of ice, riding the ensuing ice path off the ground.

The blast connected with the ice, Yuri hearing it crack from behind him. Giving off another powerful blast, he shot high into the air, three red streaks racing past him. Bracing himself, he stuck his feet out and landed, a jarring effect rocketing up his body.

After a moment, he stood up. "Whoa" he said, "can't believe that actually worked". Turning around, he ran to the side of the roof.

They were still down there, half of them now heading to where Yuri had landed and the other half beginning to disappear into a dark black hole.

I hope the others are okay, he thought.

* * *

Dahlia lightly opened her eyes, bringing a hand to her fuzzy head. What happened? She thought. She last remembered standing next to Ben and then…she just, sorta blanked and then there was that hit. Or did that happen? She could have sworn something had rammed into her.

A light bulb went of in her head and her eyes turned to saucers. Them she thought.

Realizing what might have happened, she raised her upper body, looking around to see that the iceman, his friends, and the ape had escaped. They must have done something to her while Ben was talking.

Filth, she thought, I'll be sure to kill you slowly.

And speaking of which, where was Ben anyway?

A hand suddenly came down on her, locking onto her neck in a vice grip. The person hauled her up onto her feet, Dahlia gasping for breath as the hand tightened more and more.

She looked at her attacker, her panic turning instantly into fear at the sight of him.

It was Ben but a far more terrifying version of him. His right eye had changed from a blood red to a deep, horrible black, heaving heavily like a bull ready to charge. But there was something else wrong with him, something much worse.

It was as if a bomb had been thrown into the side of his head. From his left cheek all the way to the far side of his forehead, it was just a large, bloodied swath of burnt flesh. His left eye was swollen shut, a gaping hole had been burned through his cheek, blood dripping down his feet and soaking into his clothes, and a large section of his top head was just so eaten away that you could actually see the white-boned skull.

"So" he hissed, a small chunk of flesh wobbling from the hole on his cheek "think you could take me out huh?"

Dahlia gasped "I-I-"

"After all I've done for you?" he said, grip tightening even harder "after everything we've been through, you do this to me?!"

"N-No!" she gasped "please, my love, please! I didn't mean to!"

"You think I'll really believe that!" he yelled, throwing her across the street like a rag doll, Dahlia bouncing once off the pavement and landing in a crumpled heap, mangled hair covering her face.

She grabbed her aching side, coughing as she gasped for breath, Ben slowly walking towards her.

"I always knew you were a crazy bitch" he continued "but I never took you for a stupid bitch. Did you really think that was enough to kill me?" she raised her head, her face completely distraught.

"That your little explosives were enough to take me out?" he continued "you cannot kill me, no one can".

"No! My love, please" she screamed, crawling on her hands and knees to his feet, wrapping her arms around his leg "please believe me my love, I never meant to harm you. It was them!" she said, a desperate look crossing her face, a crazed smile appearing.

"They did something to me" she said, hands clinging desperately to his pants "they made me hurt you darling, they made me! But we can get them back! You and me and sissy, we can get those filthy humans and make them pay for what they have done! Please, you must believe me!" he stared at her with emotionless black eyes, staring down at the pathetic creature lying at his feet.

"Please" she whispered, "I love you".

Silence, Ben's eyes still locked onto her, still showing no signs of remorse.

"Please forgive my betrayal" she said, "please forgive my weakness, please my love, please…please…please…"

He shut his eyes and gave a sigh "your right" he said.

Dahlia's eyes grew wide, her mouth widening into a toothy grin, looking as though she had won some fabulous reward.

"It's not your fault," he said, a soft smile appearing on his face "its there's" he reached his hand down "and they must pay".

"Yes" she said, nodding her head, smile growing even wider as she grasped his hand "yes, they will my love" he brought her back to her feet, her lips slowly touching his as she raised herself.

"They will pay," he said.

"Yes" she said, kissing him lightly "yes, my love, they will pay". She pulled away, staring into those black eyes that now sparkled like black pearls, his hands gently holding her wrist, pulling her even closer to him, feeling happier then she ever had before.

Here, with him, right now, amidst all this chaos and destruction. Nothing in this world could tear them apart.

And then the voice spoke from inside her.

Finish it.

His grip suddenly tightened, the warmth disappearing from his eyes, his smile turning into a snarl, Dahlia feeling a great wave of pain racing over her.

"N-no!" she yelled in panic, "n-no please!" her eyes began to bleed, blood welling up from within her throat.

"I'm sorry love" he said "but sometimes, revenge requires sacrifice".

Her body began to spasm, blood now pouring from her nose, mouth, and ears.

"P-please...s-stop" she croaked.

"Good-bye…my love. I'll see you in hell".

And with on final blast, Dahlia's whole body was torn apart from the inside out.

Ben became bathed in her blood; the warm liquid spraying over him as large gashes began to rip open Dahlia's body. Her stomach was ripped open, face cleaved off, arm split open, as if someone was hacking her with a rusty chainsaw.

And when the force became too much, her whole body was torn apart in a sudden explosion of blood and bone, all her organs falling to Ben's feet with a queasy splat.

He gave a gasp, small drops of blood splashing onto his tongue. He let out another, letting the euphoric rush die down, his thoughts slowly coming back to him.

He brought a hand to his face, whipping the red from off of him, the sharp irony smell hitting his nose.

"Such a waste" he said, staring down at the mangled mess that laid at his feet.

"Still" he said, "it's not such a total waste". He bent down, gently sifting through the mushy mess till he found it, the brain matter.

Grasping it in his hands, he gently picked it up, bringing it close to his face. He twisted it slightly; bring his other free hand near the surface, slowly probing it over. Usually, this would have been a lot easier had he stuck to his original routine but it was only a minor set back. He just had to look in the right place.

He twisted his hand again, still probing over the brain matter, trying to find it. Come on, where are you?

He shifted it slightly, detecting something.

"Ah…there you are". He brought his finger down, burning a small hole into the side, making sure to drill carefully as to not harm it.

After a few tedious minutes, he finally reached it. That one section of the human brain that housed the strand, that singular DNA strand that could grant oneself numerous powers. The very source of this new generations power, all held within.

He smiled "time to add another to my collection".

He began to concentrate, his finger beginning to glow, the peculiar suctioning that accompanied it already starting. He could feel the power entering into him. Like water running down his throat, he could feel it enter into his brain, the code already imprinting itself into his mind.

His eyes glazed back and he winced at the pain, like hot needles embedding into his skin. He hissed slightly, a small tear running down his face. At first, it hadn't been this painful, but the more DNA he had collected, the tougher it was to draw out. He figured something like this may happen when he was in the early stages of his work, and that maybe one day he may not be able to do it anymore. But again, it was all theory.

He felt the stream begin to die down, the pain slowly ebbing away, the process almost complete.

He took a deep breath, slowly closing and opening his eyes, a slight red glint painted onto the blackness.

He got back to his feet; turning towards the black hole the others were beginning to enter into.

Bringing a hand to his head, he gently touched his ruined flesh, hissing slightly when he touched the mangled mess.

"I'll have to fix that," he said to himself.

As he reached the hole, he diverted his head towards the sky, a stream of ice rolling gently across the black night, the figure of a man riding on top of it.

"This time I'll make sure to finish you off" he brought up his hand, watching as it began to emit a soft blue light.

"I can promise you that". And with that said, he entered the darkness.

* * *

"Quick! Down here!" Dalton yelled to the women as he veered down one of the alleyways.

Once within, he came to a sudden halt, grabbing his knees and panting heavily.

"I think we lost them," he said in between breaths.

"We shouldn't have left him" Catalina said.

"He made his own choice" Dalton replied.

Asheera walked over to Catalina, putting a hand on her shoulder "I'm sure he's all right" she told her. She wasn't entirely convinced but she nodded her head in feint hope.

"Where's Tyler?" he asked.

"I think he went back" Asheera replied "and Clark! Yuri still had him when we ran!"

"He did?" Dalton said, raising himself back up.

"I'm sure of it," she said, stepping forward "now we really have to go back".

"Its suicide if we do" he replied.

"So you're just going to let them have him?" Catalina asked "and Yuri and Tyler too!"

"What's the point!" he shot back "Ben's dead anyway! Wasn't that the only reason they were after him?"

"How can you be so sure?" Catalina asked.

"Well duh, did you not see that crazy bitch blast his head off?" he said, "tell me how he could have possibly survived that! Or anyone for that matter!"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Asheera said.

Dalton heard something from behind, a small thud, as though something had dropped. Quickly turning around, he was able to see someone beginning to stand up.

It was only a little girl, one who seemed no older then nine, her brown hair tied into pony tails and an innocent face painted on her head, betrayed only by her glazed eyes. She was one of them.

He stared at her, not really knowing what to do, the other two equally as stunned.

And then she opened her mouth and let out an ear splitting scream.

It was like hearing a thousand razor sharp nails on a chalkboard, amplified by a hundred. It was so loud and so high Dalton could feel the wind ripple and the night seemingly echo aloud with the noise. Glass shattered, sprinkling down like snow, and car alarms began to go off, their horns washed out by the little girls screams. Immediately, he brought his hands to his ears, barely quieting the agonizing sound. He stumbled back, his vision clouding over, thoughts becoming jumbled together into a mushy pile.

All he could think about was to make it stop.

After a moment, Catalina was able to push through the pain, thoughts coming together once again. Not wasting any time, she quickly raised her hand and sent a shield flying, smacking the girl directly in the face and knocking her to the ground, the screaming coming to an end.

"Jesus" Dalton said as he removed his hands from his ears.

"We better go" Asheera said "with all that racket, its bound to have caught their attention".

He looked up, just in time to see numerous black holes beginning to appear on the walls, hands and arms emerging from the darkness.

"To late!" he said, "run!"

And they were off once again.

All around them, the dark circles appeared, people slowly emerging from within, their whole psyche warped into a single intent on capturing the three.

The razor woman leaped from behind them, arms swinging in short, rapid arcs, white blades whizzing through the air.

Catalina felt as one pierced her side, a yelp of pain escaping her mouth. Turning on her feet, she formed dozens of large shields that encircled her body, the blades slamming into them and breaking into a dozen shards. She fired one at the woman, knocking her off her feet and to the ground. Looking upward, she fired another at an attacker descending from above.

Something bounced off the shields, a red streak that blasted through the side of the alley wall, sending down a shower of rock.

Turning back, she thrust her arms out, the shield in front barreling through the man, but not before he sent out one more blast.

With another swivel of her arms, the three remaining shields quickly reformed around her, knocking back the red streak, widening as they went until she was covered from above and around.

All of a sudden, something erupted from beneath her feet, whatever it was barreling right into her stomach and lifting her right from the ground, the shields around her vanishing in a flash.

She landed on her back, head colliding into the ground, stars dancing in front of her. As she raised herself up, her fuzzy vision was able to make out a figure not far from her. Giving her head a shake, she focused on the man, one arm held limply at his side, while his other one seemed to have been fused together with a plant firmly rooted to the ground.

Looking forward, she watched as the large green vine that had attacked her slowly recede back into the earth. And as it did, the man raised his other arm and out shot another long vine that came streaking for her. There was no time to act.

Asheera stopped to look behind her "Catalina!"

The vine shot right through her body, snaking through the air for the bit, blood splattering on the walls as the limp body was dragged through the air.

"No!" she yelled.

With one final twist, it stopped, the vine instantly zipping back through the air, Catalina's body pulled from its grasps. Both Dalton and Asheera watched as she fell to the ground, almost as if time itself was slowing, before everything came crashing back when she landed in a crumpled heap.

"NO!" she yelled again.

In his moment of shock, Dalton was able to remove his eyes from her body, in time to see the man raise his vine like arms.

"Shit" he muttered.

Just as he fired, Tyler came barreling from behind him, one large clawed hand raking up his back, ripping large chunks of flesh from the body. Not letting up, he grabbed him by the head and slamming it into the dirt, warm liquid suddenly blowing into his hands as if from a water balloon.

The deadly vines suddenly stopped in their path, turning brown and brittle, crumbling to the ground in an ashy pile.

But he wasn't done yet. Lifting the dead man up by his busted head, he swung him over his body and flung him directly at the growing crowd. The body slammed into them, producing a sickening thud of bone on flesh, knocking them down like bowling pins.

With a huff of approval, he turned back toward the others, quickly running towards them with a simian prance, Clark's motionless body still clutched within his free arm.

"Come on" Dalton said, "We have to go".

"But-"

"There's nothing more we can do now" he said "and unless we want her sacrifice to be in vain, we have to keep moving".

Asheera raised her head, tears now streaming from her eyes "I want this to stop".

He sighed, "I know".

Looking over her, he watched Tyler drew closer to them.

"And it will".

With out stopping, he lifted the two right off there feet and onto his back, both Dalton and Asheera barely having time to get a good hold on him. He slowed slightly, allowing for both of them to re-angle their position and grab large chunks of the brownish blonde hair before he picked up speed once again.

Tyler too had seen the whole thing unfold before him, he too feeling that same sadness sweep over his body as it happened, only to be replaced by sheer anger as he then went on to mutilate the mans body. What he wanted most to do was to pick her up to, hold out some hope that maybe he could save her somehow. But the beast inside him prevented him from stopping, telling him to push onward and head to safety with the others.

And that's what he was going to do. Before anyone else had to die.

* * *

Catalina cracked open her eyelids, everything starting to go black and the sounds all around her beginning to die away.

The stars twinkled above her, glowing even more brightly then she had ever seen them, like fireflies gently hovering in the air, as if welcoming her into their pack.

She felt no pain. She knew she was dying

"La mama arrepentida" she whisper "yo no pienso que puedo cumplir mi promesa"

Sorry mom, I don't think I can keep my promise.

Her head slowly turning, she could make out something white lying beside her. With the last of her strength, she stretched out her arm, grasping the small pellet in her hand.

Feeling like a ton of lead, she brought the object to her face.

It was one of the heroin pellets. She thought she had gotten rid of them all back in Miami…but apparently, she was wrong.

God, she thought, please watch over the others. Please make sure their safe. Yuri, Clark, all of them. Please make sure their safe.

Clasping the pellet, the brought her hand down to her heart, the beat slowly dying away with each moment.

"I'm ready now".

And with a final glance at the stars, she closed her eyes for the last time.


	33. Is it Over?

Or so she thought.

Slowly, Catalina's body began to glow that sky blue color. It started out in her hands, and slowly began to travel up her arms, down her body, on her face, until every part of her was wrapped within the light.

And like before, the light blue began to turn into a deep turquoise color, as her whole self was being repaired from within.

She fleet something was happening, as if warm sunlight was beating down on her. She could see light off in the darkness. Was that heaven? She thought. She tried to reach out, feeling herself getting closer.

The light around her began to fade, her whole body emerging from the dark blue, blood beginning to circulate, thoughts coming together, smells entering her nose, everything starting to re-energize.

When the last of the light had died out, she snapped her eyes open and jerked her body forward.

Panting, she brought a hand to her face, her skin feeling clammy and wet.

"Did…" she almost said it but she stopped at the last minute.

"But…" she looked at her hand, still seeing the light glowing from her palm.

"No way" she said.

Wanting to see it true, she looked down at her stomach, her shirt now sporting a large hole that seemed to have been made by a…large plant impaling her in the…her eyes turned to saucers and she grabbed her head.

"I really did!" she exclaimed, "I really did!" she had died.

But then her power must have kicked in and healed her at the last moment, saving her from deaths icy grip.

"Oh god" she said, hand resting on her now beating heart "oh god, holy…" and she began to sob, the relief now pouring over her.

"Thank you Jesus," she said, her hands now in prayer "thank you so much". She was alive once again.

After a moment, she began to think less about her little miracle and more about her attacker…and Dalton and Yuri.

Shit! She thought, they're probably still after them!

Realizing this, she quickly got to her feet, only to be rocked with a sudden wave of nausea, her arm reaching for the wall as she stabilized.

"Whoa" she said, giving her head a shake "dizzy".

Waiting a moment for the sickness to go down, she tentatively took one step forward, then another, and another, and another, until she began to pick up the speed, her clumsy walk turning into a clumsy run. But that didn't matter right now, what did matter was getting to the others before it was too late.

"Hang on you guys, I'm coming!"

* * *

Tyler leaped out from the alley, paws skidding across the pavement as he made a sharp turn down the street. He could sense they were close behind, so there was no room for error. If he slowed down even a bit, he could risk getting the jump on him and that could easily turn bad.

Dalton and Asheera were still holding on, the wind billowing in their hair and faces, as Tyler continued his made dash across the city, Clark still wrapped in one large arm. All of them were still reeling from Catalina's death, each still finding it hard she was actually gone. Even though Dalton and Asheera had only known her for a few hours, it was still a damaging blow to them, as if everything else wasn't bad enough.

As Tyler made another sharp turn, Asheera let her mind wander. With everything that's happened now, with Clark's rampage, the scene at Times Square, its bound to gather attention. People are going to start to talk, demanding answers as to what exactly happened, terrorist attack? Nuclear bomb? Riots?

She remembered seeing helicopters over the square, one of them most likely a news crew. Someone had to have seen Clark, or even the incident at the square. The footage would be on every news channel around the world. And if that's so, the whole world will be exposed to the new human race. These…superhumans.

And if this were to truly happen…what would the world be like then?

The end of another alley soon came into view, Tyler picking up speed as he neared the end, whole body ready in case something was waiting at the end, grip on Tyler tightening slightly.

With another tremendous leap, he leaped from the alley, a police car suddenly flying into view. He landed onto the car, glass shattering as his feet touched down. Pushing off, he sailed through the air, free hand reached down to the street. Fingernails tearing through the cement, he swung his whole body to the ground, legs bracing as they hit the hard pavement. His head cocked up, he could see them now.

Cop cars and numerous black vans had now surrounded them, men and women pouring out of them with guns raised.

Who are these guys? Tyler thought.

Mean harm, flee, words forming on his lips as the beast inside him began to speak again.

Not yet, he told it back.

But the beast wasn't having it. He began to hop slightly, whole body starting to tense up in case something went on.

"Tyler wait!" Dalton hissed "just calm down, calm down!" still fidgeting, Tyler slowly began to lower his aggression, body still moving from side to side as he kept prepared for the shooting.

From the crowd, someone stepped forward, gun still raised "this is Angela Hansen of the CIA, please state your name!"

"I'm Dalton Abbot!" he yelled "and this is Asheera Kapadia!"

"I need you to slowly get off the…" she paused for a moment, searching for a word to describe the thing before her "animal with your hands raised!"

Tyler gave a huff at the animal remark, but he kept his anger under control. With ease, both Dalton and Asheera slid down, gently touching the ground, arms raising above their heads.

Angela's eyes wandered to the creatures, the boy in his arms just becoming visible to her.

She almost dropped her gun in surprise. It's him! she thought, the kid back at the warehouse!

"and the other" she said, voice cracking slightly "the one in its arms, put him down as well".

At first, she thought the beast didn't understand her. after a moment though, it seemed to register her command and it slowly lowered the boy to the ground.

"please" Asheera said "we need help, there are people after us, there led by this man named Benjamin Tania-"

Tania? She thought, don't tell me he's behind this as well.

"Its all right now" she replied, "everything's going to be all right".

That was easy, Dalton thought.

"And you're sure its him? Ben Tania?" Angela asked.

"Yes, it is" Asheera replied, "Please, you have to believe us. People have died, our friend may be in trouble, there-"

"Okay, okay" she said "just…calm down, okay? We'll work this all out in due time, I just-"

But she was stopped mid section when her entire back up was suddenly lifted off into the air and flung into the bordering buildings.

"What the-?" She turned around, now trying to figure out what was it this time.

Slowly walking towards them was a solitary figure. And as he came closer and closer into view, she could make out the bloody mess of head, the red smeared clothes, the black eyes…it was Ben.

Without waiting, she raised her gun, finger pressing on the trigger. The shot rang out, bullet whizzing through the air towards him.

To slow, he thought.

Raising his hand, he casually caught the bullet in mid flight. And with a flick of the wrist, sent it flying right back at her, hitting her squarely in the chest.

Tyler gave a roar, lifting off the ground in a giant leap, claws bared and ready to rip the man to shreds.

"Stupid animal" he said.

He raised his arm, an invisible force taking hold of Tyler. With the swift swing, he slammed the beast into the ground, the cement splintering and cracking from the force.

Now with that nuisance gone, there was nothing stopping him now.

As the two of them tried to back up, he raised his hand, both Asheera and Dalton being lifted off the ground.

"Don't worry" he said "this will only sting a bit".

* * *

No!

Rika watched in horror as Ben began to decimate the police lines, cars being swept aside like scraps of paper.

Clark had just appeared behind her, after having to trail behind after she suddenly took off. Looking down, he too saw the events unfolding.

He began to speak something, hands waving madly, as if telling her to do something. Ignoring his antics, she looked back down, Ben advancing closer. She knew that possessing him wouldn't work; he'd merely throw her out just like last time. Thinking fast, she turned herself around and flew off in the opposite direction, Clark yelling madly for her.

Come on she thought, where are you?

Scanning the streets, she picked up the speed, flying faster then ever before, hoping and praying it was not to late.

She spotted something from the corner of her eye. Turning her head around, she saw a figure flying through the air. A hunch forming, she did a 180 and flew towards the the racing object.

Could it…she thought, as she got closer. When she saw it was that guy from the plaza, she instantly rocketed forward, making a bee's line right for the stranger.

As soon as she was in, she quickly gained control of her new body and made a sharp turn on the ice sheets path. Kneeling down, she urged herself to go even faster, the stream of ice coming from her hand spewing rapidly, large chunks of ice splintering off, her strength starting to dwindle at the amount of energy she was using.

Come on, almost there she though, digging further down to keep her speed up. As she neared, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was not to late. Ben had the two of them in his grasp, Asheera and Dalton floating in midair, both looking as though they were in extreme pain. It wasn't until she saw the blood coming from their mouths that she realized what he was doing.

Shit! Making a steep dive for the ground, she braced herself as her legs hit the pavement, barely minding the jarring effect. Racing forward, breathing heavily, she concentrated on her hands, snow beginning to swirl madly around her palms as her energy began to climb.

He was so concentrated on the two that he didn't even see her coming and once she was close enough, it was to late.

Mustering up all her power, she gave a yell and thrust out her palms, a huge jagged column of ice erupting from her hand, skewering him right in the stomach. Lifting her arms, she swung the ice shard up into the air and tossed it right into the buildings side.

The last of her strength gone, she could no longer keep her control and her ghostly self slipped from Yuri's body.

* * *

Yuri gave a gasp, feeling as though someone had just awoken him from a dream. His head was fuzzy, body feeling weak and heavy, thoughts sort of muddied together. It was odd thing really. One minute he was surfing through the air, the next he was…somewhere.

"Yuri!" he heard someone say his name, eyes traveling down to Asheera and Dalton, who were just getting off the ground.

"H-hey!" he said, "you're all right!"

"No thanks to you" Dalton said, "if you hadn't come, we would have been killed for sure".

"What?" he asked.

"Well, not need to be modest there" Dalton replied, patting him on the back "you're practically a hero".

"Wait, Tyler!" Asheera said, "Is he…"

From behind, Yuri heard a loud snort. Turning around, he saw Tyler picking himself out of a small indent in the road, bone cracking as he twisted his arms.

"Oh thank goodness" she said, bring a hand to her heart "your all right" he grunted in response, shaking his long mane of hair. Giving a sigh, Yuri just decided to go alone with it all, just so relieved to find everyone okay. Everyone except...As he looked around, he noticed that Catalina was nowhere to be found.

"Hey" he said, now starting to come out of his dazed state "where's Catalina?"

Instantly, the mood changed. Both Dalton and Asheera got these looks on their faces, Tyler bowing his head, and a sinking feeling starting to enter in Yuri's mind.

"What?" he asked "did something happen?"

* * *

Clark raced over as soon as he saw the girl phase out of Yuri's body. Lifting her up by the shoulders, he lightly shook her, calling for her to wake up.

"Hey!" he said, "are you okay?"

She stirred, hand rubbing her forehead, eyelids opening by just a hair. When she saw him, she nodded her head, removing herself from his grasp as if to tell him she was fine.

"Thank god" he said, smiling to her, she too returning the gesture.

"Um" he began, feeling slightly foolish for what he was about to say "it was really cool what you did back their, I mean, if Yuri hadn't arrived…well I hate to think what might have-" but he stopped, cause the girl was no longer looking at him but was instead focused on the large hole where Ben was sent into.

"What is it?" he asked "is something wrong?"

She turned to him, grabbing Clark by his sleeve, pointing down to the large pile of rubble, which was now starting to quiver.

"Uh oh" he said.

* * *

"Yuri" Asheera began "you have to understand, we tried-" but her sentence was cut short when a loud explosion went off near them.

Flung back by the force, huge chunks of broken cement went sailing through the air, bolts of electricity racing through the air, Asheera landing roughly on her back.

Looking up, her whole heart dropped when she saw Ben, his entire midsection pierced open by one large bloodied hole.

"Oh come on!" Dalton yelled.

"You know what" Ben said, taking one step forward "I've really had just about enough of this shit. Really, my request was simple enough, just simply hand over Clark and I would leave you be but no, you all had to take the hero route" he took another step, foot slamming into the ground, producing an audible thump.

"Well guess what" he said "it was cute at first, all the heroics and shit. But now, it ain't cute no more. So I think its time for me to put an end to all this. You all want to play heroes? Very well then" he clenched his fist, small bolts of lightning flashing across his backhand.

"After all" he continued, bring his arms close to him "every great hero needs an especially great villain and since we have just about reached the big climax of our little tale". He crossed his arms, clothes and hair starting to ripple.

"That means its time for the ultimate showdown of good and evil" he spread his legs apart, the invisible wind around him growing, sparks shooting off all over his body.

"So I hope you all are ready" he raised his arms up "cause here I come!" and with one loud yell, he thrust his arms down. Instantly, huge chunks of metal and cement were ripped off the nearby buildings, wires torn from the ground, street lamps thrust from the ground, glass panels shattering off their frames, and the police cars were hurtled off the ground, all of which came barreling right into Ben.

He was engulfed in a raging ball of metal, concrete, and glass, rolling and turning like that of a great ocean tide while bolts of electricity began to dance and flash across the sphere's surface, more and more material slamming into it as the thing grew in size.

Then a terrible roar emitted from within, the sound of it echoing across the derelict street. And with the last debris in place, it grew larger and large, deep outlines weaving their way through out the sphere. It hovered above the street for a moment, sparks still dancing across its surface.

Slowly, the thing began to reveal itself, long arms and legs unfolding, large rounded head lifting itself up, the entire creation a sickening marriage of metal and flesh.

And when it was done, the thing dropped to the ground, the whole street shaking slightly from the landing.

Down below, the group stared in awe and horror at the monster that now stood before them.

"We are so fucked" Yuri said.


	34. Finale

The creature stood there, head ominously turning as it surveyed the group below. It flexed its fingers, small chunks of rubble breaking off from the joints and low, guttural sounds escaping from its slack jawed mouth.

"What is it doing?" Dalton whispered.

"I don't know" Asheera replied "its just standing there".

It gave a huff, the thing starting to lift one of its enormous arms.

"Go" Yuri said, the creatures arm now above its head.

"Go!" he yelled.

It gave a loud roar and brought its hand down. Tyler leaped to the side, scooping up Asheera and Dalton in its arms, Yuri rolling to the side as the things arm slammed into the ground. The whole street trembled, Yuri's balance wavering slightly as the shock waves emitted.

"Asheera! Dalton!" he yelled, "grab Clark and get out of here! Tyler, get ready"

"Are you kidding!?" Dalton yelled back "there's no way you two can defeat that thing!"

"We'll have to try!" he replied, hands now coated in a thick sheet of ice "now get out of here!"

The creature had now begun to raise its arm "hurry! Go now!" he yelled for the last time.

Seeing the thing move, the two of them stoically nodded.

The sound of another roar broke Yuri from his trance. As it prepared for another attack, Yuri fired a beam of ice and began to ride up into the air.

Swerving around the mass of concrete, he fired a barrage of ice chunks at the thing, all his hits feebly smashing against it like tiny bugs. It swung its arm up, Yuri quickly making a steep dive to dodge the attack. Concentrating, he fired a beam of ice, hitting the thing right in between its eyes, which were nothing more then empty black sockets.

Blinded slightly, it raised a hand, furiously whipping off the caked on ice. As it did, Tyler began to climb up the things back, making small leaps to climb at a rapid pace.

He jumped onto the things neck, huge arms pulling as it tried to rip of the head. Feeling this, the thing began to swat behind it, arms to big to even reach behind, Tyler still keeping his grip. With the distraction need, Yuri angled himself to the ground, free hand outstretched as he fired another beam, quickly forming a large frozen patch of ice at its feet.

Tyler gave another big tug, pulling the creature back, its large blocky feet shifting onto the ice sheet.

Yuri gave one last burst and shot into the air, both hands cupped together as a giant block of ice formed in between. Energy built up, he fired into the things chest, the force powerful enough for it to loose its balance, Tyler quickly jumping off its neck. Feet leaving the ground, it fell on its back with a resounding thud.

From down the street, Dalton turned his head as soon as he felt the tremor "all right!" he yelled.

But he spoke to soon.

The creature let out a furious roar, dozens of lighting bolts shooting out from the cracks in its body. Slowly, it began to rise off the ground, large chunks of concrete falling from its body until a whole outer layer had been broken off, revealing a much smoother and smaller monster from within.

It was now no taller then a house, arms, legs, and body perfectly welded together by long rods of metal, claws of glass protruding from its long, spidery fingers while a mass of broken headlights now made up its eyes, each one swiveling in all directions.

Seeing this, Yuri quickly rose up, hand thrusting forward as he fired another blast. The creature swiftly dodged the attack, claws raking the air, swatting him away like a common fly.

A large piece of rubble collided into the things head, car light eyes swiveling around as it spotted Tyler chucking another large concrete ball at it. arm knocking the debris away, it slammed its fist to the ground, Tyler sidestepping the attack.

Yuri gave off a great burst of energy, sending him over the things head, hands firing multiple blast of ice at the creatures eyes, shattering the car lights in a flurry of broken plaster, the creature blindly swinging away. Tyler gave a running leap, soaring up into the air, delivering a one, two punch to the creature's head, knocking it into a building side.

but then the creatures hand shot out, wrapping Tyler up within its long fingers. Slowly it began to tighten its grip, grunts of pain escaping Tyler's mouth as he tried to wriggle his way out, arms flexing out as he tried to push his way out.

Realizing this, Yuri nose-dived to the ground, slamming his feet into the street, a large pillar of ice piercing into the creature's stomach. With another swing of his hands, he cracked off the top layer of the ice, hurtling it into the things wrist. Grip slackened, Tyler quickly thrust his arms out, breaking free off its grasp.

Gathering its wits back, the thing regained his balance, shattering the enormous ice block, launching itself forward towards its attackers.

* * *

What on earth! That was all Rika could think of when she saw the thing Ben had created.

From their perch up in the clouds, both she and Clark watched the battle as it unfolded down below.

They were putting up a good fight but she knew that it wasn't going to be enough to take down that thing. There had to be some other way.

Once again, taking over as Ben wouldn't do it (if she could even find him underneath all that) and it wasn't like she could go into Clark's body, she'd just put herself once again at risk with…well, whatever was inside him.

What can I do? She thought.

Seeing that they were going to get nowhere by just floating here, she grabbed Clark by his arm, guiding him down the street where the others had gone.

Scanning area, Rika looked for basically anything that might have been of some help but as they kept going down the street, it seemed like nothing could help them at this point.

Growing desperate, she tightened her grip on Clark, flying down the street even faster, eyes quickly dotting from one side to the other as she tried to find something.

Then she saw it. Quickly slamming down on the breaks, she floated back slightly, head cocked in curiosity.

It was a very brightly lit store, almost like one of those comic book places she saw back Tokyo. There was displays of a life like superheros in the front window, numerous action figures dotting around near them, vintage copies of comics displayed in Plexiglas cases, and one big movie poster displaying the latest comic book adapted film.

The sign above the shop read **9****th**** Wonders** in big bold yellow letters.

It took her a moment but as she began to think on it, the connection became clear.

A quick turn and she was speeding up the street, Clark in tow, who had by now begun to yell at her.

Ignoring him, she spotted Asheera coming into view. She let go of him, arms held out as she flew into her body.

Gaining control, she let go of Clark's unconscious self, taking off in a rapid jog, Dalton yelling unintelligible words at her.

Reaching the shop, she grabbed the door handle, only to find the thing locked. Turning her head, she saw a garbage can near her. Kneeling down, she grabbed it by its bottom, hoisting it over her head and with a mighty throw, chucked it through the glass door.

Her way now clear, she stepped through the shattered glass, eyes scanning around at the numerous objects laid out in the store, not just action figures but space ships, medieval warriors, witches and wizards, model planes, everything a comic geek could ask for. Only now, they served a much greater purpose.

She began to run rampant through out the store, hands touching every single figurine, airplane, action figure, prehistoric animal, sculpture, basically every inanimate object in the entire store that could have been any help.

Soon, the whole store began to buzz as tiny arms and legs began to twitch, engines flaming up, eyes blinking, propellers twirling, swords unsheathing, one by one they all began to come alive until the whole store was a buzz in a cacophony of different sounds.

Finally, Rika turned around and placed her hand on the giant sculptures in the window, they too twitching and jerking their way into life.

Her job completed, she let go off her hold on Asheera and phased out.

* * *

She awoke with a start, surprised at herself.

Did I just blank? Asheera thought.

It wasn't until she lifted her eyes that she became even more confused. All around her, there were these tiny knights, airplanes, spaceships, even some full grown people wearing ridiculous costumes like those you saw in comics.

I did this? She thought.

"Asheera!" she turned as Dalton walked through the destroyed door "what are you doing? you just took of before I...Whoa" he said as he spotted all the animated figures.

"Something I missed?" he asked.

"I don't think so" she replied "but at least now, we can give the others backup".

* * *

Tyler jumped over one of the creature's arms; zig zagging around his feet, trying to get the thing disoriented as Yuri attack from above.

Leaping from the ground, he barreled into its side leg, the thing losing its balance slightly, Yuri unleashing a furious barrage of ice to its chest, finishing off with a powerful punch.

Slamming into another building, it raked the air with its hands, Yuri nimbly dodging through the air, rapidly firing away at the creature

Tyler scaled up the things back, jumping a great length onto its head. Sensing this, it tried to shake him off but he gripped its cement head firmly. Lifting up one of his hands, he slammed his fist through the cement, paw gripping onto various metal linkages below, pulling and tugging away at its head.

As it raised its hands up to flatten him, Yuri quickly flew toward them, large blocks of ice formed around his hands. Knocking away the attacking limb, he chucked the two large blocks right into its already damaged eyes, both of them ripping through the shattered car lights, thing letting out a cry of frustration.

Releasing his grip, Tyler quickly jumped back down to the ground, Yuri joining him as the thing wobbled around blindly.

"Nothings working" he said frustratingly "no matter how hard we attack it, the thing refuses to go down".

Need help, the beast spoke to Tyler.

I know that, he responded, but what else can we do?

"Crap" Yuri said "get ready, its coming back".

The creature had recovered from the attack, its eyes now just huge black holes against its head. Raising its arm, it prepared to attack, Tyler already bracing himself for what was to come.

All of a sudden, a huge blast erupted on the side of the things chest. It turned its head in response, as did the two others.

From down the street, it looked as though a whole miniature army had mobilized. Tiny figures were racing down the street, yelling at the top of their lungs in battle cry unison. Space ships and fighter jets zoomed through the air, while human sized, superhero clad men and woman lead the charge in the front ranks.

"Go!" he heard Asheera yell, "Take the thing down! Show it no mercy!" they all responded to her call, each one going in for a full on assault.

A blue and red spandex wearing man was the first, firing off rounds of large white orbs that exploded across the things chest. A woman dressed in angel robes flew on pearly white wings, firing rounds of bright blue arrows from her golden bow. Two five year old kids swooped around the things head, hacking and slashing with long katana swords. And finally, the biggest one of all, a Viking clothed man with long blonde hair ran towards the legs of the creature, huge metal axe sparking electric as it swung at its leg with awesome force.

Then the cavalry arrived. The fighter jets began to fire bullets and missiles, space ships shooting laser beams, tiny archers firing off clouds of little arrows, axe and sword welding men beginning to climb up the creatures damaged legs, slipping through the cracks and into the inner workings.

The thing swung its arms blindly, trying to fend off the sudden on slot of attackers, but there were far to many to deal with at once and before long it started to become over runed.

With newfound confidence, Yuri and Tyler entered into the fray, ready to finish off Benjamin Tania once and for all.

* * *

It was still not enough.

Even with the comic book army, Clark knew it wouldn't be enough to take down the creature. Deep down, he knew that there was only one way to defeat this thing once and for all. And that thing now lay dormant within his knocked out body.

But there was no way he could go back in, not with that…entity (he could think of no other word) still inside. If he went in, there was no certainty if he could get himself back out, even with the girl's help. And there was no guarantee that his destruction would stop with just the cement creature.

There has to be another way! He thought desperately.

When no answer came to him, he gave a frustrated sigh knowing full well that there was no other way. For the sake of not only his friends but for all of New York, hell, even the world...it had to be done.

Turning to the girl, he gave her a tap. She turned in response, curious look on her face.

"I think I know how to stop it" he said, trying best to get his message across "but it requires me going back inside my own body". He pointed down, her eyes going wide when she realized what he was saying.

She shook her head, hands waving in a clear no.

"Please!" he said, taking hold of her wrist "there's no other way! You have to let me!" she shook her head again, clearly intent on telling him it was a bad idea.

"If we don't, who knows what might happen!" he said "we have to put a stop to this, once and for all! Please!" she did nothing, giving him a look that said 'its to dangerous'.

"Look" he said, "you can help. All I need is just a few moments, long enough for me to get the job done. You can keep a hold on me" he took her hand, bringing it down to his arm, wrapping her fingers around his.

"You can pull me out," he continued, "in case I can't myself. I know its risky but you have to trust me".

She didn't do anything, eyes focused on him as she tried to process what he said. That or deciding what she should do.

"Trust me".

Still no response.

Something caused both of them to look back to the battle, just in time to see the creature slam its fist into the angel woman, breaking her into a thousand pieces, the tides now turning as the mini army found its advantage quickly slipping away.

She turned back in his direction, giving him a nod.

"Really?" he said, "you will?" she nodded again, fingers curling tightly around his arm.

"All right" he said, turning around to face his unconscious body "lets do this".

The two of them flew down until they were just above Clark's body. Turning one last time to the girl, she gripped his arm with both hands, he turning back to face his own self.

Here goes nothing.

Taking a deep breath, he dove in.

Instantly, Clark's eyes shot open, pupils erupting to life in a fiery blaze, energy coursing through his veins. Harnessing all he strength, he let loose a raging torrent of flames, blasting through the air and engulfing the creature.

The thing screamed in pain as the fire ate away at its body. It swung its flaming arms in a desperate attempt to put out the flames but it was a feeble attempt. Slowly, the thing began to drop to its knees, huge chunks of its body falling off in flaming spheres, the whole street a lit in the fiery glow.

Clark felt the thing inside him starting to stir.

Letting out the last of his strength, he tugged at the girl to get him out, his hold on his body breaking free, vision fading out. A sudden grip wrapped around Clark's body, preventing him from leaving. the thing had him, ensnaring the teen before he had a chance to escape.

Rika kept her grip, desperately tugging away at Clark's distorted image, half of which was still locked into his body as the entity tried to drag him back in.

Feeling her grip loosen, she dug deep and began to pull, a game of tug of war now ensuing between her and the creature.

All the while, the raging storm of fire kept on going, rushing over the inflamed creature, who by now had taken on the shape of some giant, deformed blob.

The entity gave a tremendous pull, Rika almost losing her grip on Clark, his body slipping further back into his body. Come on Clark! She thought desperatly.

She felt his ghostly hand grip hers, as if in response from her silent prayer. Both of them now renewed with strength, they both gave a tug and broke free of the entities grasp, Clark being flung out like a freshly caught fish. With him out, his whole physical body went limp, eyes rolling shut, the fire storm ending almost as quickly as it began.

Rolling slightly, Rika caught herself, flipping upright once again, concern etched on her face as Clark collected himself.

"I'm fine," he said, giving a shake of his head "really, I'm fine. Just a bit weak, that's all". She understood what he was saying, her response by wrapping her arms around him.

"Uh…" Clark said, a bit put off by this "it was nothing".

She let go of him, a bright smile plastered on her face. Both of them looked over to the flaming pile of metal and concrete, the buildings a glow in the orange light.

"And stay dead this time" Clark said.

Watching the fire, a thought had finally crossed Rika's mind, causing her to gasp in surprise. She had been so wrapped up in all this she had completely forgotten.

Seeing as their job was done, Rika tugged at Clark's shirt.

"What is it?" he asked.

She wrapped her hands around his arm again and before he could object, the two teenage ghosts flew off into the night.

* * *

"What just happened?" Yuri said, not really speaking to one particular person.

"Clark woke up" Dalton said, arms holding up the person in question "then he was out again".

"Just like that?" he said in disbelief.

"Well, I can't think of any other way to put it".

"Does it really matter?" Asheera said, "Without his help, we might not have been able to defeat Ben".

"Speaking off which" Dalton said, turning to the large flaming mound "is he truly dead this time?"

"I don't want to speak to soon" she said "but this time…I really think its over".

"Your sure?" he asked "like, sure sure?"

She laughed, "Yes Dalton, I am sure. Not even someone like Ben Tania could survive that".

"Lets just hope its right" Yuri said, Tyler and the still intact figurines walking over to them.

"So" Dalton said after a moment "now what?"

"You can start by answering a few questions" all four of them whipped around at the sound of this new voice.

Angela was starting to get back on her feet; hand clutched on her right shoulder "would be nice if someone gave me a hand here".

"Oh right!" Dalton said "sorry about that. Are you all right?"

"I've been shot" she said "of course I'm not all right, ow!" she yelped as Dalton helped her up.

"Sorry, sorry!" he said.

"Its fine" she said, "Anyway, like I was saying, I think it would be best that the four of you stuck around. Believe me, my boss is going to want answers for this".

* * *

By now, Clark and Rika had left the city, both of them flying over a small neighborhood area where people still lingered outside, eyes focused on the pillars of smoke rising from parts of the city.

Diving down, she led him to an abandoned car parked on one of the streets. Phasing through the roof, Clark spotted the girls unconscious body laid out in the back.

She turned to him, motioning him to wait, he nodding in agreement. Facing towards her body, she phased through herself, eyes snapping open as soon as she entered.

Clark watched as she picked up something lying next to her. Using her index finger, she began to scribble something on the device, hand moving quickly as she wrote.

When she finished after a very length bit of time, she laid the thing down on the car; a whole bunch of Japanese symbols scrawled on, which naturally made no sense to Clark.

"Uh...English, please?" he said. And as if by his response, the screen flickered slightly, the symbols replacing themselves in full English words.

"That's convienant".

Lowering himself, he read the passage out loud.

"Clark" he said, not at all surprised she knew his name (nothing surprised him at this point) "I know you must have a lot of questions, so I'll try to make this as brief as possible. First off, my name is Rika…" it then went on to explain her blindness, Ben's attack on her in Tokyo, the whole mystery department she and other people were taken to, all about Yuri, Asheera, Tyler, Lola, practically everything leading up to now.

He waited a few moments before she took it back, starting to write something new. This time, it didn't take her as long as the first, Clark having to wait just a few moments before she set down the odd device.

He waited till it changed to English before starting to read "so now you know all that, its time I tell you why I really brought you here for. When I first discovered my power, I immediately went to the library to uncover all I can on it. Astral Projection was the given name for it. Anyway, I was able to learn a number of things on the subject, one of which I'm about to tell you now". Picking it up again, she quickly wrote another message, placing it back down in the same spot.

"You see," he said "Astral Projection, its kind of hard to explain in simplistic terms but in short, its like a projection of your own self, like a hologram or 3-D movie, something along that line. So this image, if you want to call it that, is coming from one particular source, your own mind, almost like a remote control car. but the problem is, that image cannot remain outside its body for long. So like any car, it needs to refuel itself, so it must go back to the source so it can re-energize itself. However, as you and I know, it's not safe to let you go back into your own body, not with that thing still inside. If you went in, everything would just repeat itself all over again. So now, you have no place to rest, so it won't be long before you start to get weaker and weaker".

Clark didn't like the sound of that.

She picked up the device, this time she only took just a few seconds before she placed it back down again, all the writing turning into English, the last sentence chilling him to the bone.

_The longer you stay outside your body, the weaker you'll become…until you will fade away from existence forever._

There was a solemn look on her face, as if knowing what news this will have on him.

Gone? He thought, as simple as that? And here he thought things were looking up.

Rika took back the device, writing something else on it. Oh, now what else? He thought, thinking that nothing could get worse.

Turning the thing over, Clark saw she had written only a few letters.

_But there is another way._

Another way? What other way?

Rika's body went limp, her ghost form coming out of her body, taking Clark by the wrist.

"W-wait!" he said "what are you gonna do?"

Simply giving him a smile, she gave a tug and pulled his entire body into her own.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Rika gently pulled herself up, checking over herself slightly. Everything seemed normal enough, but there was only one way to be sure it worked.

_Clark?_ She said in her mind _can you here me?_

A moment later, a response came _yeah, I here ya. What just happened? Why can't I move anything? And is it just me, or is it very quiet?_

_Technically, its not you who's doing all the moving_ she replied as she got up, beginning to climb over to the drivers seat _and as for the not hearing part, just a minor set back in my otherwise all right bodt_.

_So I wasn't hallucinating! Am I really…well, inside you?_

_I guess you can call it that_ she replied _but I wouldn't say 'inside me', more like a part of my mind._

_I'm confused._

_When I said that sooner or later you had to return to the source, I did mean that but not in a literal sense._

_Meaning?_

_Think of it sort of like…a temporary home she said an astral person cannot stay outside for long but that doesn't mean they can't go home right away. They can go on...a road trip of sorts._

_Did you learn this as well from your research?_

_Yes and no. You know how I can enter people's minds and take over their bodies?_

_Duh._

_Well, think of that as my pit stops. While I'm in their, my astral self has time to recharge itself, meaning I don't have to go back to my body right away and I can continue on my road trip. So I figured, if I can do that, so can you._

_So then…oh, I see now._

_Yep. So until we figure out what that thing is inside you and find a way to get it out, your gonna have to stick with me for now on._

_I dunno if I like the sound of that. Its only been a few minutes and I still feel weird about this experience, I don't know if I can handle long periods of this._

_You won't have to be cooped up forever; I can let you out from time to time._

_Great, now I'm some sort of pet._

_Hey, either that or you take your chances back in your old self._

_Thanks but no thanks. I mean, it can't be so bad right?_

_Thought so._

With this, she started up the car, pulling out into the road and heading for the city.

_So wait, does this mean I can enter other people's minds as well?_

_Not a chance. That power only comes with those born with the ability. The only way you'll be able to enter people's minds is if I took you in with me. And since the human mind cannot handle more then one other personality, it just wouldn't be possible. So essentially, I'm the only one whose mind you can enter and even then, you won't have control over them._

_Damn_.

_Oh and since your gonna be apart of me, there are a few guidline's we need to go over._

* * *

**_Author's Note: so everyone, the next chapter will be the final chapter in my fanfic. _**


	35. Dawn of a Brand New Day

It didn't take long for the hordes of police and black vans to arrive on the scene, quick to close off the area before the media showed up. All around, there were flashbulbs sparking off from the crowd, news stations shoving mics into policemen's faces, FBI agents trying to defuse the rapidly growing crowd.

By now, the footage of time square had been broadcast all over the US, which countries like England, Spain, Japan, Russia, and numerous other foreign states starting to get their hands on the incredible footage. It wouldn't take but just a few more hours till the reel would be plastered on every major news channel across the globe, even less for Internet sites to get their hands on the film, and even lesser still for the questions to start arising.

And when the sun began to dawn on the New York skyline, it represented not just the beginning of a new day but of a new world as well.

Both agents and policemen had subjected the four people in the midst of all this to tons of questions. Most of the time, they were the same questions, just structured differently, and each answer they gave only seemed to unlock even more questions then before.

For hours, this continued on until Angela had convinced everyone that any more questions would have to wait, many of them showing a disgruntled matter over this sudden announcement.

"You think the boss will approve of that?" Dawson asked her, head now bandaged, arm hung in a blue sling.

"I think a few hours of interrogation is enough" she replied, "Especially after what they went through. And speaking of which, you should be getting your rest".

"Its nothing but a bruised head and a dinged up arm" he replied "nothing to worry about".

"More like a minor concussion and broken elbow" she said in a matter of fact tone.

"Maybe so" he said, sheepish smile crossing his face.

"Dawson" she said, "I am saying this as both your friend and boss. Go back to the ambulance, have them take you to the hospital, and get some rest. That is an order".

He sighed, "Fine, I guess. But it sucks that you're sending me home right in the middle of what could be the biggest story of the 21st century!"

"Don't worry, I'll keep you posted" she said "and it ain't like you can't flip on any news channel to find something on this whole disaster. Now, enough talk, you should be marching back to that ambulance right this moment".

"Yes mom" he said in a sarcastic tone, starting to walk off toward the nearest emergency truck.

"And when I mean get some rest, that's exactly what I mean!"

* * *

_Asheera Kapadia_

Pushing back a stray piece of hair, Asheera looked down at her now tattered and ripped sari, fingers sort of playing with the holes that now dotted along the red satin sheet. Both she and Dalton were sitting on the opening section of an ambulance truck, Yuri standing near them.

None of them had spoken in awhile, each one tired from the nights events and the almost endless barrage of questions the FBI and police had for them. Rubbing her eyes, she could barely remember the life she had just weeks ago. An ordinary college professor now turned superhero, who would have thought?

It almost seemed crazy to even fathom going back to that life now. After all that had happen, she just couldn't see herself working in a classroom ever again, pretending none of it had ever occurred. Maybe it was just her, or the lack of sleep, but right now she wanted to do something more. By the looks of it all, the word was out about the existence of super powered humans and no amount of denial was going to change that fact. They now stood at the edge of a turning point in mankind's history, one which now faced a very uncertain future. One that, Asheera believed, was not ready for.

"So" Dalton said, his voice cutting into her thoughts "where do we go from here?"

She shrugged "I'm not sure" she replied "right now, we're free people again. With Lancaster dead, we won't have to run anymore. We can just…return back to our lives".

"I don't know about you" he said "but I can't imagine going back to my old life".

"Neither can I" she replied.

"What do we do then?" he asked.

Asheera sighed, "Only thing now we can do is brace ourselves for what's to come. And I don't know about you Dalton but I plan to be in the front lines when that day comes. As far as I know, I'm probably the leading expert on this new race of humans, if not the only one".

She turned to him "and just like all those reporters out there, I too am looking for answers. And I intend to find them".

* * *

_Dalton Abbot_

He nodded "pretty bold I have to say".

"No kidding" she replied.

"Well, if you plan on trying to change the world" Dalton said "your gonna need someone there to help ya along the way".

She looked over at him "really?"

"No duh" he said "like you, said, no way I could return to my normal life. After all of this craziness, you'd think I really be content with just sitting behind a desk all day counting numbers? Not happening".

"So your behind me as well?" she asked.

"I already said it, didn't I? Can't go back on my word now".

* * *

_Yuri Pavlova_

Yuri had lost himself in his own thoughts.

He hadn't seen Ana in over a week now, nor had he thought of her once through out this whole ordeal. He prayed she was all right, that Lancaster hadn't gotten to her, that she was still at their apartment building, worrying over his safety, wishing him to come home, doing her catering buisness, the usual stuff.

As soon as they were done here, he was going to call her. Tell her he was fine now and that he'd be home soon.

Home.

To think that before all this, his biggest dream was making it on the Olympics team. It seemed so childish now, insignificant compared to the others.

Now he had his mind set on different goals. In all logical standpoints, he was still employed to Itex, though if there was still an Itex now remained a mystery.

He hadn't lied before, the reason why he joined with them. It was the truth that he wanted to do something great, to help those all around the world. People like him. People that, after tonight's events, were no longer in hiding.

For the general public, there will be much to talk about. And for those with abilities, a general question of where things would go from here.

"Yuri?" Dalton's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"What?" he said, "Sorry Dalton, I wasn't really listening"?

"I was just asking," he said, "what do you plan to do now?"

Yuri shrugged "not sure really. Go back home, I suppose…" he let his sentence fade off, losing himself once again in his thoughts.

"Yeah, I think I plan to go home" he said after his pause "but, I don't want things to go back just the way they were".

"Just what we were saying," Asheera replied "after all this, how can one person go back to normal?"

Yuri nodded, smiling.

"What? What's so funny?" Dalton asked.

"Nothing" he said "I just think its funny how things have worked out. Here I came to New York with the intents to kill a guy, to destroy a company I once worked for…and now I find myself going back to it".

"I don't understand" Asheera said, "So your still going to work for Itex?"

"Not just work for it" he said "I was thinking more big".

"Like, how big?" Dalton asked, both of them starting to get curious over Yuri's cryptic speech.

"Like, head of Itex big" he said.

Both of them looked at him in surprise and confusion, each ready to fire hundreds of questions at Yuri for this sudden change until.

"Hey guys!" they all turned to see Tyler heading towards them, who by now had changed back into his regular self, body wrapped in one of the blankets the police had provided them.

"There you are!" Asheera said "for a second, I thought they were gonna keep you in confinement for the entire morning!"

"Well yeah, they were" he said "but I got off when I helped them identify someone. And you wouldn't believe who I saw!"

"Who?" she asked.

"Well" he said, "wait, she was behind me a moment ago. Catalina, where are you?"

Hearing this name, Yuri turned his head, just in time to see her walking towards them, sheepish grin on her face.

"Hi everybody" she said "I… hope I didn't scare you to bad".

* * *

_Catalina Portillo_

It took an entire thirty minutes for Catalina to explain everything that happened, coupled with a good amount of hugs and tears of relief.

"And so when I got here" she said, just wrapping up her story "I saw this huge crowd of people gathered and I figured, something bad might have happened. So after fighting my way through the crowd, I get to the front, only to have the police stop me and say I couldn't go further. I tried to explain to them but they weren't really buying it. Lucky for me, Tyler was there in order to vouch for my story".

"Amazing" Asheera, said "I cannot believe it, full cellular regeneration, I would have never thought it possible".

"Well, thank god it was" she said.

"Oh of course" Asheera responded "I'm just so glad to see you're all right".

"And you all as well" she replied "and, I forgot to ask, but where's Clark?"

"Up there" Dalton pointed inside the ambulance, where his unconscious self still remained asleep.

"And the doctors don't know when he'll come out of it?" she asked.

"Not without more time" he responded "just a matter of waiting".

She nodded "I'm so happy that you all are safe" she said "but…I'm afraid I have to leave now".

"Now?" Yuri asked "why now?"

"Well, when they found out that I was never really at the true scene" she said "they just decided that it be best if they sent me home. And to be honest, that's the one thing I want to do right now".

"So you're really going," Dalton said "at this moment?"

"Yeah" she said "they got me on the earliest flight to Buenos Aires, which leaves in just over an hour. I wanted to see you all first before I had to go".

"What do you plan to do?" Yuri asked.

She shrugged "not sure really. Seems almost like a fresh start to everything and I intend to make the most of it".

"Well" Yuri said, giving her a hug "if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call".

"And me as well" Asheera said.

"Ms. Portillo" a man said, appearing from behind them "ah good, there you are. I was sent to escort you to the airport safely. And we should get going if you want to catch your flight".

"I guess…this is goodbye," she said.

"Not really" Dalton said, "I mean, we can still keep in touch. All of us can. After all, whole new world out there, right?"

Catalina nodded, giving everyone a last hug before turning back to the man "okay, we can go now".

"Right this way" he said.

As she followed him, she couldn't help but turn back to the other, waving at them goodbye, smile on her face.

Its funny how things turned out. In little over two weeks, she had gone from illegal drug mule to girl on the run to hunted superhuman to dead superhuman and finally, winding up here.

So what could she call herself now?

Thinking about it, she figured that maybe just being Catalina was enough for her.

* * *

_Tyler Morgan_

"Well" he said, "all this stuff about changing the world is really starting to get to me".

"What? You going home as well?" Yuri asked.

"Hell no" he said "come on, ain't really nothing to go back to. Surfing all day, partying all night…just gets boring after awhile".

"Funny you should say that" Yuri said "cause I think I might have a proposition for you".

* * *

Destiny. For every human on this planet, they are fated for many things to come in their lives. Some will go on to do extraordinary things and others will most likely fail in their quest for success. It all depends on the people that they are entrusted to and whether they will have the courage to confront the obstacles when they come down the road.

The world now stands…at a crossroads. An uncertain future lies ahead of everyone, both the ordinary and the extraordinary. Whichever road we may travel, will either lead to great triumph or our ultimate destruction.

And when the day comes that our world stands on the brink of destruction, it will all depend on this new generation to steer our path to salvation or annihilation.

* * *

_Rika Ichikawa/Clark Leachman_

As she drove the truck through the city, nearly every television they passed, every bystander they saw, and every paper on print that morning, all blared the same message.

**New York Under Siege.**

_Its everywhere_ she heard Clark say.

_Well, we both knew that things might come to this _she replied _just, not so suddenly_

_Its all my fault_ he said _if I hadn't lost it…none of this would have happened_

She sighed _there really is no point in sulking about it. What's done is done and no matter how much we hate it, nothing can change it_

_What do you thinks gonna happen?_ He asked.

Rika shook her head _I don't know. I'm not sure anyone knows at this point_

_How do you think people will react?_ He asked.

_Honestly Clark, I really don't know_

_So that's basically your answer then? You don't know?_

_Well, what do you want me to say?_ She asked him _if you have any sort of idea, I'm more then gladly open to the idea_

He didn't respond for a while. _I'm just scared, of what might happen. We humans…we're not exactly known for embracing things that are different. And I think that the worst is still to come_

_I'm not sure how much worse it could get_

The van continued on down the quiet street, the rising sun just ahead of them like some giant awakening from its slumber. Neither one saying anything, they continued down the road in silence, both dreading to see what this new day will bring.

Welcome to the new world.

* * *

In a dark alleyway not far from the closed of street, Kari Shafer stood silent and erect, face as plain as ever, eyes gazing off into nothing as usual.

The great pile was still letting of clouds of smoke, even after the firemen had put out the flames, whole thing resembling some sort of misshapen ball of cement.

As she stood there, something very odd happened. Slowly, her mouth began to curl into a smile, face growing dark, an almost humorous expression on her face.

It's very easy nowadays for stories to be fabricated. Certain things are said, people witness something they don't understand, lies are told, and a combination of other things come to light that can change a pretty mundane story into a wild and outrageous scandal.

For Kari Shafer, she was no exception.

Popular to belief, she wasn't born a mute. If you were to ask her parents they would have given the straight forward truth, that is, if they were to come out of their drunken stupor. It would also help if the two were still alive. From what the police reported, the two had gotten into an argument that quickly escalated into a very violent fight. Though had they known it was the 'voices' in their head that told them to kill one another, then the case wouldn't have been as clear cut as it had been.

From an early age, Kari learned that she had the unique ability of 'influencing' the people around her. It started out small, insects pulling out their own legs, baby spiders eating their mothers, but then it escalated to dogs jumping of four story buildings, wolves attacking an innocent couple, eventually reaching a point where her gift soon could reach people's minds.

After her parent's death, she began to hone her ability with her very own sister. For years, she experimented on her sister, learning ways of keeping an individual under her control for extended periods of time, pretty soon expanding her ability to include dozens of others that she could have under her spell at the same time.

Another thing that people might not know about Kari was that, for a few months, she was briefly apart of a volunteer program for 'extraordinary people', called the Company. Her reason for joining? For the message they stood for, 'to change the world'. And for Kari, she had a clear vision on how she wanted the world to be. But for the others, they weren't exactly feeling her ideas. So she simply had to do things the hard way.

But the others quickly found what she was doing to them, putting ideas into their heads, having others under her control, basically taking over the entire company from the inside out. In their state of fear, they tried to get rid of her by way. Gathering some of the last few associates not under her control, they were sent to take her out by any means necessary, even if it meant killing those she had under her control.

And just like that, the Company had ended.

But she survived. Through a combination of wit and trickery, she survived. Using one of the cell copiers, she had him transform into a replica of herself, giving her just long enough to get out of the Company's headquarters and get as far away from them as possible before they found out what had happened.

Back in her sisters home, she began to formulate once again. With the Company gone, she had to start over from scratch, find some other way of making her dreams a reality. So she turned to the one person in the Company that still remained under her control. And that was Author Lancaster.

Even from the earliest days of her time in the Company, she had him in her grasp. Twisting and warping his mind until he was rendered almost completely inept without her constant coaching. The perfect vessel for her to begin the organization that would become Itex.

Under Lancaster's guise, she built the empire from the floor up, getting in touch with the right people, dipping into every market known to man, building herself a multi million dollar franchise in the span of just a few years. The rest is, of course, history.

But as for Ben, her served her a purpose as well. She discovered him one day working a medial job in a meat packing plant and when she learned of his ability, she knew that he was going to be useful. Quickly getting him involved in Itex, she to began to work with his mind, going through the usual steps. But the problem was, his mind was just a bit more resilient then others, and before she knew it, she found her little test subject slipping out of her control.

And when the Ichikawa murder happened, she realized what a monster she had created. She tried to get rid of him but was to late. And before she could do anything, he vanished.

After their escape from prison, Kari would lay eyes on Ben for the first time in months, who at this point had been pushed over the edge, her powers almost useless against his. And when she learned of how he had perfected his ability, she became even more scared. If he were to become too powerful, there was no telling what might happen.

Using whatever hold she had left on him, she was able to stave off his murderous rampage, letting his victims live so that he may not steal their powers and not become any more of a threat then he already was. Her only problem was now, how to get rid of him.

As if her luck couldn't get any better, along comes Clark. And with one final attack, he had gotten rid of the one person that Kari felt most threatened by.

With him gone, nothing could stand in her way.

"Thanks Clark" she said, "I owe you one".

Turning back down the alley, she disappeared into a cloud of shadows.


End file.
